Tory polling stabilises as Labour whip resigns over lockdown breach
Conservatives have ten-point lead over opposition party but support for Boris Johnson is falling

Latest polls suggest that public outrage over Dominic Cummings’ lockdown breach is receding, with the Conservatives’ lead over Labour widening to ten points in the past week.
The Tories’ image has “nosedived” since early April, with voters increasingly viewing the ruling party as “out of touch and incompetent”, says The Times.
But while the government has faced widespread criticism over its handling of the coronavirus crisis, support for the Conservatives has risen to 45%, up one point from the beginning of last week, according to a YouGov poll for the newspaper.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Labour is on 35%, down three points since the start of last week. However, the ten-point lead held by the Tories is well below the 15-point gap that the party enjoyed before the Cummings scandal.
And when asked by YouGov who would make the best prime minister, 37% of respondents said Boris Johnson, while 32% said Keir Starmer. The five-point gap in the latest poll, conducted last Friday and Saturday, marks a significant narrowing compared with a survey 11 days earlier, in which Johnson commanded a 12-point lead over the Labour leader.
The result is likely to “fuel consternation in Conservative circles, where Labour is viewed as an increasingly serious threat” under Starmer’s leadership, says The Times.
Labour’s drop in the polls comes after party whip Rosie Duffield resigned from her front-bench post.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Duffield quit after The Mail on Sunday revealed that she had broken lockdown regulations in April by meeting with her married boyfriend, TV director James Routh, while he was still living with his wife. The newspaper said the couple had also spend time together at Duffield’s home, which they are now sharing.
In a statement, Duffield said: “My partner and I have been attempting to navigate a difficult personal situation as responsibly as possible. I apologise that during that process, we breached the guidelines.”
-
The week's best photos
In Pictures A silver-painted boy, a raging flood, and more
-
Roblox, one of the world's most popular video games, has become a bastion of hate speech
The Explainer The platform has over 111 million daily users
-
Russian strike on Kyiv kills 23, hits EU offices
Speed Read The strike was the second-largest since Russia invaded in 2022
-
Can anyone save Jimmy Lai?
Today's Big Question 'Britain's shameful inaction' will mean it's partly 'responsible' if Hong Kong businessman dies in prison
-
Jonathan Powell: who is the man behind Keir Starmer's foreign policy?
Today's Big Question Prime minister's national security adviser is a 'world-class operator'
-
Who will win the battle for the soul of the Green Party?
An ideological divide is taking root among the environmentalists
-
Can Gaza aid drops work?
Today's Big Question UN's Palestinian refugee agency calls plan a 'distraction and smokescreen' as pressure mounts on Israel to agree ceasefire and fully open land crossings
-
Are we facing a summer of riots?
Today's Big Question Anti-immigrant unrest in Essex has sparked fears of a summer of disorder
-
Who stands to gain – and lose – from 16-year-old voters?
Today's Big Question Many assume Labour will benefit but move could 'backfire' if Greens, a new hard-left party or Reform continue to pick up momentum
-
What difference will the 'historic' UK-Germany treaty make?
Today's Big Question Europe's two biggest economies sign first treaty since WWII, underscoring 'triangle alliance' with France amid growing Russian threat and US distance
-
Mortgage reform: is Rachel Reeves betting the house on City rules shake-up?
Today's Big Question Reforms could create up to 36,000 additional mortgages next year