Nigel Farage's new Brexit party has surged into a nine-point lead in the polls ahead of Euro elections later this month as Labour support falters amid its bitter row over whether to back a new referendum.

The Eurosceptic party is now on 30 per cent, up from 28 per cent in a week, according to a survey by YouGov for the Times.

In contrast Jeremy Corbyn's party fell one per cent to 21 per cent over the same period, while the Tories, whose activists are threatening not to campaign, remain stagnant on 13 per cent.

The increase in support for Mr Farage's party came as he ruled out a tilt at a seat in the Commons, saying it was 'impossible' because he was too busy.

A by-election will be held in Peterborough on June 6 to find a replacement for Independent Fiona Onasanya, who was jailed earlier this year for lying to police an yesterday became the first MP to lose her seat through a recall petition.

Mr Farage told the Sun: 'Impossible - I have a national campaign to run!'

Peterborough was taken by Onasanya for Labour from the Tories in 2017 by just 607 votes. But it voted 60-40 to Leave in the 2016 referendum.

Brexit Party Leader Nigel Farage was in Plymouth yesterday with former Tory shadow home secretary Ann Widdecombe, who has defected to stand in the South West

The YouGov poll of 1,630 people carried out on Monday and Tuesday this week also makes poor reading for the new Change UK party made up of ex-Tory and Labour centrists.

The percentage of people saying they planned to vote for it fell from 10 per cent to nine percent.

Ukip was also trailing on 4 per cent - down one point on the previous week - in the poll of voting intentions for the May 23 European elections.

It has faced controversy over the actions of some of its candidates.

In a worrying sign for Prime Minister Theresa May of discontent within her own ranks, more than half (52 per cent) of those who voted Conservative in the 2017 general election said they would back the Brexit Party in the Euro-elections.

Mr Farage's party, launched less than a month ago, was backed by 48 per cent of over-65s taking part in the poll, 60 per cent of those who backed Leave in the 2016 referendum and 31 per cent of those who described themselves as Conservative supporters.

Neither the Brexit Party nor Change UK, the party set up by the breakaway former Labour and Conservative MPs of The Independent Group, are contesting Thursday's local elections in England and Northern Ireland.

Those questioned by YouGov named Brexit as the most important issue facing the UK in the run-up to the Euro-elections, with more than twice as many voters mentioning it as health, crime or the economy.