Tories open 14-point poll lead over Labour despite Cabinet chaos

The Tories have opened up a 14-point polling lead over Labour despite Boris Johnson being plunged into a Cabinet crisis.



Two different surveys this weekend see the Conservatives on 35% of the vote, while Jeremy Corbyn’s party slumped to as low as just 21%.

It comes despite the Prime Minister being beset by problems since MPs returned from summer recess, as he lost his majority in the House of Commons, lost control of Parliamentary business and lost his own brother from the Cabinet.

On Saturday night the work and pensions secretary Amber Rudd revealed she was also quitting Mr Johnson’s top team, accusing him of "an assault on decency and democracy" for sacking 21 Tory MPs who backed moves to prevent the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

But YouGov’s results in the Sunday Times seeing the Conservatives hold steady, while Labour drop four points to just 21% of the vote.

A survey by Opinium in the Observer meanwhile sees the Tories go up three points, and Labour down one to 25%, giving the Government a 10% lead.

A third poll out this weekend from Survation for the Daily Mail, does show a fall for the Conservatives down two points to 29%, while Labour stay on 24%.

On a personal level the difficulties this week have dented Mr Johnson’s personal rating, with only 36% in the Opinium poll saying he would make the best prime minister, down from 41% last month.

But that still gives him a healthy lead over My Corbyn, who is languishing at just 16%.

In the same survey only 37% said they approve of the way the PM is handling the Brexit process, while 43% disapprove.

And a fourth poll, for ComRes, suggests his party will struggle in an election if Brexit is delayed.

If the snap poll is held after extending the Article 50 deadline beyond 31 October, the survey puts Labour in the lead on 28%, with the Tories on 26%.

But if the election is held before October 31 and Brexit has not yet been completed, which has been Mr Johnson’s preferred plan, then his party would be ahead of Mr Corbyn’s with 30% to 27%.