New Westminster Voting Intent numbers from Savanta ComRes of 2,168 British adults from July 8-10 showed Sir Keir Starmer’s party with a huge 15 point lead over the Conservative Party – the biggest gap since 2013. The labour party stands at 43 percent – up two points from the last poll a week earlier, with the Tories losing four points and languishing at just 28 percent. Chris Hopkins, director of political research at Savanta ComRes, said on Twitter that this is the biggest lead for a party in a poll since May 2021.
But perhaps most notably, he added that it is the lowest Tory vote share in a poll since September 2019 and the largest Labor lead in a poll since February 2013.
The shocking numbers — the first Savanta ComRes poll since Boris Johnson’s resignation as prime minister last Wednesday — exposes the monumental task facing the winner of the Tory leadership contest.
Academic Matt Goodwin: “Totally brutal polls for Conservatives right now, unsurprisingly.
“Another two digit (15pt) lead for Labour. This is Starmer at number 10 with a majority.”
Social commentator Adam Brooks also tweeted: “Boris going has made the @Conservatives% plunge in the polls.”
It’s been a disastrous week for the Tories, crowned with the resignation of Mr Johnson after he finally succumbed to the pressure and headed for the exit door at 10 Downing Street.
He was hit with nearly 60 resignations of senior ministers and MPs over a staggering 48 hours – including Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Health Minister Sajid Javid.
They all struck a familiar note in their resignation letters – they lost all faith in the prime minister and could no longer serve in government.
The former health secretary, who also served as chancellor under Mr Johnson, warned the Tories will face “electoral oblivion” if they don’t change.
He told an event in London: “In recent years, our reputation on most values and policies has faded.
“Too many people now believe that Labor is fit to rule.
“Some of them say that Labor is more competent and even more inclined to cut taxes.”
Mr Javid also referred to the disastrous defeat of the Conservatives against Labor in 1997, where the opposition ruled for more than a decade, and warned that the political situation was “starting to feel very familiar”.
The leadership candidate added: “As things have been going lately, I feared that our party was once again heading for the same electoral oblivion.”