Millions of Labour supporters would vote for the Conservative Party's Theresa May over Jeremy Corbyn, a new poll has revealed.
The survey, conducted by YouGov for The Times, showed that 29 per cent of people who voted for the party in the last general election would now back May over the embattled Labour leader. This equates to 2.7 million Labour voters out of a total 9.3 million.
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It also revealed the biggest gap between the two parties since the end of Gordon Brown's leadership in 2010, with the Conservatives on 40 per cent and Labour securing just 28 per cent of the vote.
"The commanding lead will pile pressure on the prime minister to consider an early election," The Times says. "Some Tory MPs believe that Mrs May needs to be ready to use that option, even though she has dismissed it in public and private."
During a policy speech in South Yorkshire today, Labour leadership challenger Owen Smith says his "heart sank" when he saw the poll results. "This should be a wake-up call," he added.
However, Corbyn remains the bookies favourite to win the leadership contest by a significant margin, with an earlier poll revealing has more than double the support of members.
The survey comes as Labour waits to hear the High Court ruling on whether or not Corbyn will automatically be included on the ballot paper, as ruled by the party's National Executive Committee.
If the decision is overturned, the Islington North MP is expected to struggle to secure the required nominations from his MPs.
Labour leadership election polls: Corbyn 'unstoppable'
25 July
Jeremy Corbyn has more than twice the level of support of his rival Owen Smith in the Labour leadership race, according to a new poll of party members.
It comes as yet another row erupts within the party, with critics accusing Corbyn of hypocrisy over gender pay equality after figures showed a predominance of men in top-paying roles in his inner circle.
While Corbyn fends off the latest round of criticism from disgruntled MPs, polls and odds continue to show overwhelming support for his leadership among grassroots members.
What do the polls say?
The latest Opinium/Observer poll reveals that 54 per cent of members and supporters are planning to vote for Corbyn and just 22 per cent are prepared to back Smith, the Pontypridd MP and former shadow work and pensions secretary. Twenty per cent remain undecided and 4 per cent say they won't vote.
"The findings offer further proof that grassroots support for Corbyn remains firm despite weeks of bitter conflict between the leader and Labour MPs at Westminster," says The Guardian.
"While supporters of Smith will argue that he will gain support as he becomes better known in the run-up to the 24 September vote, it would appear he has a mountain to climb," the paper adds.
Asked who they would back if a general election were held tomorrow, 37 per cent said they would vote for the Conservatives, 31 per cent for Labour, 15 per cent for Ukip, 6 per cent for both the Lib Dems and the SNP, and 4 per cent would support the Green Party.
What about the bookies?
Corbyn remains the odds-on favourite to win the leadership election – by a significant margin – with bookmakers continuing to lose faith in his challenger.
"Smith's odds are going into freefall," says Business Insider. "Corbyn is now unstoppable."
The current odds:
Ladbrokes: Corbyn 1/6 – Smith 4/1
Paddy Power: Corbyn 1/8 - Smith 4/1
Sky Bet: Corbyn 1/6 – Smith 7/2
Bet365: Corbyn 1/6 – Smith 4/1
Labour leadership election polls and odds: What are Corbyn's chances?
22 July
The Labour Party is dominating the headlines once again, amid an increasingly bitter row over the alleged abuse of several MPs.
Jeremy Corbyn may not have the backing of his own MPs, but it seems the majority of grassroots members - and the bookmakers – are standing firmly behind the Labour leader.
A survey of more than 1,000 Labour members, commissioned by The Times earlier this week, found Corbyn was favourite to win the party's leadership contest by a margin of more than 20 points.
What's been happening?
Another day, another saga. This time, leadership challenger Owen Smith has accused Corbyn of "licensing" the abuse of MPs by his supporters, while former challenger Angela Eagle claimed he was "stirring" up trouble. Both MPs claim to have been the target of systematic abuse as a result of questioning Corbyn's leadership.
"We didn't have this kind of abuse [and] intolerance in the party before Corbyn became leader," Smith told the BBC.
Corbyn says he has repeatedly made it clear harassment and abusive language "have absolutely no place in our political discourse"
He was backed up by his shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, who said: "Jeremy has been moving heaven and earth to say to people abuse is just not acceptable. I just think that Smith and others should stop attacking Jeremy personally."
In addition, Labour politician Conor McGinn accused Corbyn of threatening to telephone his father, a former Sinn Fein councillor, after the MP complained about the direction the party was heading.
"I find it shocking and embarrassing and almost unbelievable," McGinn told PoliticsHome.
The Labour leader emphatically denied the accusations, saying: "I don't do any abuse, I don't do any bullying."
Who do the bookies think is going to win?
The betting odds are likely to put a smile on Corbyn's face, with all the bookmakers having him as the odds-on favourite to win the leadership contest and Smith trailing far behind.
The Pontypridd MP's odds to win have been on a downward trend since Eagle dropped out of the race and have lengthened even further since Wednesday, according to Business Insider.
"Eagle has since pledged to support Smith in his battle to be leader, but at this rate it could be a lost cause."
The current odds:
Ladbrokes: Corbyn 1/6 – Smith 4
Paddy Power: Corbyn 1/6 – Smith 7/2
Sky Bet: Corbyn 1/6 – Smith 7/2
Bet365: Corbyn 1/7 – Smith 9/2
Infographic provided by Statista for TheWeek.co.uk
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