Conservatives jump 10 points in opinion poll as Ukip crash to just 5% as Theresa May steals votes from Paul Nuttall’s party
And in a disaster for Jeremy Corbyn the PM is seen as more likely to protect the NHS, according to voters in a new survey
THERESA May’s Tories have jumped 10 points in a new opinion poll and Ukip crash to just 5% as they plunder votes from Paul Nuttall.
The new survey confirms those who backed the anti-EU party in the 2015 election are flocking back to the Tories ahead of June 8.
The poll, by , also delivers disastrous news for Jeremy Corbyn as it suggests voters believe the Prime Minister is more likely to protect the NHS than him.
Research for Good Morning Britain showed Mrs May was backed by 42.1% of respondents, while the Labour leader received 39% of the vote on an issue which his party is supposed to dominate on.
The headline figures give the PM a 17% lead over Mr Corbyn, with the Conservatives jumping up to 47% - a rise of 10% since the pollsters last published their results.
Labour stay the same on 30%, while the Liberal Democrats slip back by one to 7%.
But the biggest drop is by Ukip, who fall by 9% to just 5%, as post-Brexit voters are deserting the party to re-join the Tories.
The poll also said that 44% of people would consider voting tactically to stop a party they did not like from winning.
And it showed that 62% of people thought Mrs May would be the best PM to get a good Brexit deal, with just 20% thinking Mr Corbyn would be.
On who would is trusted to promote a fairer society the PM is on 46%, while Mr Corbyn is on 37%, while on managing the economy she leads by 62% to 21%.
Which of the party leaders do people think would make the best Prime Minister?
Theresa May (60%)
Jeremy Corbyn (21%)
Don't know (19%)
Ukip yesterday insisted they are still relevant and vowed to be the "guard dog" of Brexit that "we fought so hard for".
Shrugging off claims made by ex-boss Nigel Farage that the party could fold within two years if the PM gets a good deal with Brussels, Paul Nuttall told reporters in Westminster: “there is no chance that will happen whatsoever.”
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It follows horrendous results for the party in last week’s local elections, where it lost 145 council seats in a devastating wipe out - and won just one.
Both its former MPs have quit, saying it was “job done”, with Douglas Carswell suggesting voters do the same and move back to the Conservatives.
The poll will be good news for Theresa May as she seeks to sweep up even more seats in Westminster in next month's general election.
What do voters think the most important issue is in this election?
- Brexit (15%)
- NHS (14%)
- Economy (10%)
- Immigration (9%)
- Party leader (7%)
- Education (5%)
- Tribal loyalty (3%)
- Welfare (2%)
- Housing (2%)
- Local candidate (1%)
- Cost of living (1%)
- Defence (< 1%)
- Crime (< 1%)
- Pensions and retirement (1%)
- Other (31%)
The poll comes a day after the Tories opened up a record lead over Labour – being put 22 points clear in the biggest gap recorded by analysts ICM in more than three decades.
The data from ICM for The Guardian suggests a sweeping win for the PM in next month’s poll.
It was conducted directly after the Prime Minister’s party made big wins in last week’s local elections.
If that poll was replicated on June 8, it could give Mrs May a majority of more than 170.
And the news comes just as a new poll in Wales confirms the Tories are on for a stonking victory there too .
A poll from Cardiff University’s Wales Governance Centre puts Mrs May’s party on 41 per cent there, with Labour on 35 per cent and Plaid Cymru on 11 per cent.