Labour surges to a four point poll lead over the Tories

Labour surges to a four point lead over Boris Johnson and the Conservatives – Sir Keir Starmer’s biggest polling margin since the 2019 general election

  • New Opinium poll puts the Labour Party on 41 per cent and Tories on 37 per cent
  • Four point lead is Labour’s biggest margin over Tories since general election
  • Tories hit by 22 per cent of their 2019 voters now saying they are undecided

The Labour Party has surged to a four point poll lead over the Tories – its joint highest margin since the 2019 general election. 

A new Opinium survey puts Labour on 41 per cent and the Conservatives on 37 per cent, providing a significant boost to Sir Keir Starmer‘s leadership.

The poll suggests the Tories are suffering because some 22 per cent of 2019 Conservative voters now say they are undecided about who to vote for. 

In contrast, just nine per cent of 2019 Labour voters say they are unsure about how they would vote. 

Sir Keir Starmer has received a polling boost after a new survey gave Labour a four point lead over the Tories

The latest Opinium poll was conducted between January 14 and January 15 and surveyed 2,003 UK adults. 

Labour’s four point lead over the Tories is the same as was recorded in a poll conducted between November 5 and November 6. 

The new poll also found that less than a third of voters – some 29 per cent – believe Boris Johnson makes the best prime minister which is his lowest score on record.

Mr Johnson’s net approval rating currently stands at minus 15 with some 34 per cent approving of his performance while 49 per cent disapprove. 

That is the premier’s lowest net approval rating since the 2019 general election. 

However, Sir Keir has also suffered a hit to his ratings, with his net approval falling from plus 15 to plus 10, with 37 per cent approving of his performance while 27 per cent disapprove.

Some 32 per cent of voters said they believe Sir Keir would be the best prime minister, only marginally higher than Mr Johnson. 

The poll also looked at how the nation feels about coronavirus restrictions, with more than half (51 per cent) of the view that the Government has under-reacted in its curbs, up seven points from last week.

Three quarters of voters – 75 per cent – also believe the Government has not reacted quickly enough to changing circumstances, the highest number on record.

The Opinium survey also found that less than a third of voters - some 29 per cent - believe Boris Johnson makes the best prime minister which is his lowest score on record

The Opinium survey also found that less than a third of voters – some 29 per cent – believe Boris Johnson makes the best prime minister which is his lowest score on record

Adam Drummond, head of political polling at Opinium, said: ‘In public opinion, the worsening Covid case load is outweighing the initially successful rollout of the vaccine. 

‘Even though the public approve of the government’s handling of the vaccine by 47 per cent to 23 per cent, the government’s overall approval numbers are among the worst recorded in the pandemic. 

‘Voters think the current situation is worse than last spring but that the Government and their fellow citizens aren’t taking it seriously enough.’