Swing to Labour in England could give Miliband victory
New polling in Scotland appears to confirm Labour’s worst fears – but there’s hope elsewhere
The news from Scotland only gets worse for Labour. The latest Ashcroft constituency polls north of the border suggest the SNP surge is gathering not abating. With a near wipeout of his Scottish battalion, Ed Miliband surely has no hope of winning the general election.
And yet, and yet.
Do the sums and you find that Labour have a chance of making serious enough gains in England to overcome the Scottish catastrophe and put Miliband in Downing Street. Here’s how:
Subscribe to 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.
The latest polling average across Britain produced by UK Polling Report shows the two main parties on level-pegging: Con 34, Lab 34, Lib Dem 9, Ukip 15, Greens 5.
Yesterday’s Sunday paper polls and this morning’s YouGov survey, taken together, do nothing to change that picture.
True, Opinium for The Observer put the Tories four points ahead (Con unchanged at 36, Lab down 2 at 32, Lib Dems 8, Ukip 13 and Greens 5). But YouGov for the Sunday Times had Labour ahead by three points (Con 33, Lab up 2 at 36, Lib Dems 8, Ukip 13, Greens 5) and today’s YouGov for The Sun has Labour one point ahead (Con 34, Lab 35, Lib Dems 8, Ukip 13, Greens 5).
In short, it remains neck-and-neck.
General Election 2015: Who will win?
The most common point of comparison used by poll-watchers is the seven-point gap – nationwide - by which the Tories beat Labour in the 2010 general election. So, if the current polling average is about right, there’s been a swing to Labour of 3.5 per cent.
But forget that seven-point margin for a moment and concentrate instead on the score in England and Wales at the 2010 election: the Tory lead was more than 11 per cent.
A drop from 11 points to zero – again, assuming current polling is reasonably accurate – means there’s been a swing to Labour of more than five per cent since 2010.
There are around 70 marginal seats currently held by the Tories and the Lib Dems in England and Wales vulnerable to a swing to Labour of five per cent.
Labour are unlikely to take all 70 - there are local nuances to take into account. But most observers are agreed that Labour is in a much stronger position than the Tories when it comes to the “ground war”. As the Economist points out, they are leaving the Conservatives in their wake in terms of local organisation.
And Labour’s “air war” is also going better. Only a couple of weeks ago, the “narrative” of this campaign was that Miliband was a feeble party leader who the majority would not vote for, even if they liked his party’s policies.
That has clearly changed. Miliband is looking stronger, his personal rarting has improved dramatically: as one political commentator said yesterday, he suddenly looks taller.
Even YouGov president Peter Kellner, who has been insisting since before the campaign began that David Cameron would remain Prime Minister, has felt bound to change his view.
He now says Cameron could struggle to stay at Number Ten because the Tories are losing both the air and the ground war. YouGov surveys, Kellner argues, show that voters are now “warming to the idea” of an Ed Miliband-led government.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
What is the next Tory leader up against?
Today's Big Question Kemi Badenoch or Robert Jenrick will have to unify warring factions and win back disillusioned voters – without alienating the centre ground
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
What is Lammy hoping to achieve in China?
Today's Big Question Foreign secretary heads to Beijing as Labour seeks cooperation on global challenges and courts opportunities for trade and investment
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is Britain about to 'boil over'?
Today's Big Question A message shared across far-right groups listed more than 30 potential targets for violence in the UK today
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
UK's Starmer slams 'far-right thuggery' at riots
Speed Read The anti-immigrant violence was spurred by false rumors that the suspect in the Southport knife attack was an immigrant
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The Tamils stranded on 'secretive' British island in Indian Ocean
Under the Radar Migrants 'unlawfully detained' since 2021 shipwreck on UK-controlled Diego Garcia, site of important US military base
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
David Cameron resigns as Sunak names shadow cabinet
Speed Read New foreign secretary joins 12 shadow ministers brought in to fill vacancies after electoral decimation
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Britain's Labour Party wins in a landslide
Speed Read The Conservatives were unseated after 14 years of rule
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published