Labour are now neck and neck with the Tories in the countryside
Bleak opinion polls are a common occurrence for the Tories these days. But today’s offering will get even the most optimistic Tory campaigner pause for thought.
An exclusive poll for Times Radio has found that support for the Tories in the countryside has plummeted. The poll – conducted by YouGov – found that Labour are now just two points behind the Tories in true blue rural heartlands.
In the 2019 general election, 52 per cent of rural voters backed the Tories, with just 20 per cent voting Labour. Now, YouGov has found that only 33 per cent of voters in the countryside intend to vote Tory, compared to 31 per cent for Labour.
If the rural electorate voted this way in a general election, Labour would be in the running to break through in parts of the country the Tories have dominated for decades.
The collapse in Tory support mirrors the picture in the national polls too. In the five most recent opinion polls, Labour have a lead of between 18 and 20 points over the Tories, enough to deliver a landslide victory if repeated at a general election.
Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward
Image credit: Simon Walker / Number 10 – Creative Commons
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