Rishi Sunak’s great reset stalls as new poll shows Labour extending its lead to 20 points despite tax-cutting Autumn Statement – and Reform UK hits a new high amid Tory infighting over immigration
Rishi Sunak’s hopes of a Tory revival fuelled by tax cuts is floundering as a new poll shows Labour has extended its lead – and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK are coming up on the rails.
Sir Keir Starmer’s opposition has a 20-point lead, up from 19 a week ago, according to a survey at the weekend by Redfield & Wilton Strategy.
This is despite support for national insurance cuts and increases to benefit payments and the national minimum wage in the Autumn Statement.
In news that will worry Conservative Party headquarters, Reform UK is now at 10 per cent, its highest ever rating with the pollster.
It comes as Rishi Sunak tries to smooth over a bitter row over plans to fly Channel migrants to Rwanda, after the scheme was grounded by the Supreme Court.
The economy, immigration and healthcare continue to be far and away the biggest concerns of voters.
Redfield’s director of research, Philip van Scheltinga, said: ‘Rishi Sunak’s repeated attempts to reset the agenda since September have all failed. Nothing he has done has substantively altered the position of his party.
Sir Keir Starmer’s opposition has a 20-point lead, up from 19 a week ago, according to a survey at the weekend by Redfield & Wilton Strategy.
Opinium found strong support for increases to the NLW, state pensions and benefits, and for cuts to NI. But there was less support for less well understood business tax reforms.
‘The conventional wisdom says that polling typically narrows as an election comes closer, but it is difficult to see what could cause that narrowing in the polling this late in the game, especially after 13 years.’
Redfield has Labour on 45 per cent, with the Tories on 25 per cent. But while Labour has extended its overall poll lead, Rishi Sunak’s personal net approval rating has improved by three points to -17. Sir Keir Starmer is on 8 per cent, down three points amid a row over a Gaza ceasefire in labour ranks.
It comes after a similar poll at the weekend by Opinium gave Labour a lead of 16 points, up from 13 points.
Opinium found strong support for increases to the NLW, state pensions and benefits, and for cuts to NI. But there was less support for less well understood business tax reforms.
A series of Tories today warned new Home Secretary James Cleverly that he must get a grip on the Channel boats crisis today amid fears a promised new treaty with Rwanda is being delayed.
He faced questions in the Commons, with complaints that international human rights rules are not ‘fit for purpose’.
But Mr Cleverly left his deputy Robert Jenrick to field most of the tricky interventions – praising his work on the stopping the boats as the pair tried to paper over rumours of tensions.
The pact with the African nation is expected to be upgraded in a bid to quell legal objections to the UK deporting Channel boat arrivals there.
The agreement had originally been expected last week, but now seems unlikely to appear before next week – and potentially not until after Christmas.
At the weekend, Mr Sunak used an interview with the Mail on Sunday to warn: ‘A vote for everyone who is not a Conservative is a vote to put Keir Starmer into office.
‘The question for people who care about tackling migration, who want to get our taxes down, who think we need to have more common sense in our discourse is: do you want Keir Starmer or me to be your Prime Minister?’
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