The Tories could lose 20 seats (Picture: Getty Images)

Theresa May could lose her overall majority in the general election, a shock YouGov poll has predicted.

The survey of voters, commissioned by the Times, predicts that the Conservatives could fall short of winning an overall majority of seats on June 8.

In contrast to signs from a string of opinion polls that have suggested May’s Conservatives will increase their majority, the new constituency-by-constituency modelling by YouGov showed it might lose 20 of the 330 seats it holds and the opposition Labour Party could gain nearly 30 seats, The Times said.

Shock YouGov election projection points to hung parliament with Conservatives losing 20 seats https://t.co/Cs7i05Tacg pic.twitter.com/6FPmxVLmhR — The Times of London (@thetimes) May 30, 2017

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That could leave the Conservatives 16 seats short of the overall majority of 326 needed to govern without the support of other parties.

The poll has sent shockwaves in the financial markets, with the pound falling against the dollar in anticipation that the result may not be as clear cut as initially thought.

ALERT: UK Pound falls sharply vs. Dollar after YouGov/Times poll shows Conservatives could lose 20 seats in election https://t.co/aAGp7ia8Pv pic.twitter.com/Izr2E4FUMT — CNBC (@CNBC) May 30, 2017

Sterling not happy about the Times/YouGov poll showing Tories losing majority #hungparliament pic.twitter.com/wFJ0ziO2RZ — Sean Callow (@seandcallow) May 30, 2017