Tories take poll lead - but will it keep them in power?
Tories look more like emerging the largest party but without Lib Dem numbers to keep Cameron at No 10
The Tories lead in three out of four new voting intention polls. Most spectacular is the Ashcroft national poll, which gives them six points over Labour (36 to 30 per cent). This is close to what they achieved at the last general election and will help Tory campaign chief Lynton Crosby face down the more panicky members of the Conservative Party.
The Tories lead by three in the Guardian/ICM poll and by one in the YouGov poll for The Sun (details at foot of article).
However, Populus gives Labour a three-point lead while the Poll of Polls produced by the New Statesman, which averages out at the dozen most recent polls, shows a much more slender Tory lead of 0.9 per cent.
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.
This might be good enough to make the Conservatives the biggest party at Westminster but, with the Lib Dems unlikely to make up the numbers this time, might not be enough to keep David Cameron in power.
The New Statesman’s May 2015 website says: “Five of the last 12 polls have put the Tories ahead by at least 3 points (four different pollsters), but five have also put Labour ahead by at least two points (three different pollsters).”
In the key marginals, where this election will be decided (hopefully), new constituency polling by Lord Ashcroft shows Ukip falling back in four seats, affecting both Tory and Labour chances.
In Great Grimsby, Labour are 17 points ahead of Ukip – whereas there was only a single point between the parties in December
In Cannock Chase, Labour are now six points ahead of the Tories and look set to gain the seat.
In Castle Point, the Conservatives have extended their lead over Ukip from one to five points since February.
In Great Yarmouth, Ukip have fallen well behind, allowing the Tories to pull two points ahead of Labour.
But are the polls being skewed by a “shy Ukip” factor”? In other words, are there people who plan to vote Ukip but don’t own up to it when questioned by telephone pollsters?
The idea is prompted by YouGov research which found that people were most likely to feel embarrassed about voting Ukip and proudest to say they vote Labour.
Mike Smithson of Political Betting recalls there was a similar problem in the 1990s with "shy Tories". He says that telephone phone polling – used in all constituency polling and some national polling - has generally given Ukip a lower share of the vote than online polling which allows the voter an extra layer of anonymity.
Voting intention poll details:
Ashcroft: Con 36 (up 2), Lab 30 (unchanged), Lib Dems 9 (up 1), Ukip 11 (down 2), Greens 7 (up 3).
ICM: Con 35 (up 1), Lab 32 (u/c), Lib Dems 9 (down 1), Ukip 13 (up 2), Greens 5 (u/c).
YouGov: Con 35 (up 2), Lab 34 (u/c), Lib Dems 9 (up 1), Ukip 12 (down 2), Greens 5 (u/c).
Populus: Con 33 (down 1), Lab 36 (down 1), Lib Dems 8 (u/c), Ukip 14 (u/c), Greens 5 (u/c).
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
-
Why Man United finally lost patience with ten Hag
Talking Point After another loss United sacked ten Hag in hopes of success in the Champion's League
By The Week UK Published
-
Who are the markets backing in the US election?
Talking Point Speculators are piling in on the Trump trade. A Harris victory would come as a surprise
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: November 3, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
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