General Election polls 2019: Conservatives command 15-point lead over Labour with days to go

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Ewan Somerville8 December 2019
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The Conservatives command a 15-point lead over Labour with days to go before the election, a new poll shows.

Boris Johnson sits on 46 per cent of the vote in the latest Opinium poll, ahead of Labour at 31 and the Lib Dems on 13.

The poll suggests that Labour have won back some pro-Remain voters who had drifted to the Lib Dems, while the Conservatives have hit a limit of Leavers supporting them.

When 2,003 UK people between December 4 and 6 were asked who they see as the best prime minister, Mr Johnson was up one point to 37 per cent, with the Labour leader sitting at 21.

Only 29 per cent can imagine Jeremy Corbyn as prime minister, while three in five cannot. This is compared to 34 and 56 at this point in the 2017 election.

Public satisfaction for Mr Corbyn is unchanged on last week’s Opinium poll at 29 per cent, while Mr Johnson has decreased by two points in the last seven days to 28.

But the campaign period has worked better for Mr Johnson, the online survey suggested, with three in ten, 29 per cent, feeling their perception of the Tory leader has improved, and 28 per cent saying they now have a more negative outlook on Mr Corbyn.

It is a turning of tables on this stage last election, when two in five, 40 per cent, felt more positive with Mr Corbyn after the campaign period and 38 per cent more negative with Theresa May.

The latest polling average shows the gap between Tories and Labour has narrowed

It comes as the latest polling average by PA Media seeing the Conservatives hold a ten point lead over Labour at 43 per cent to 33 on the final weekend before the December 12 election. This has narrowed significantly since October 27 when it was 15 points.

The poll of polls puts the Lib Dems on 13 per cent, while the Brexit Party has fallen from 11 per cent at the start of campaigning to three per cent, tied with the Greens.

The Tory leader said the election was "closer than many people think" and suggested that if the SNP and Lib Dems win six more seats each, Mr Corbyn could then become prime minister.

"And this would mean another broken hung Parliament, with every day next year a Groundhog Day in Parliament," he wrote, in a letter published by the Mail on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn spoke of people having "the chance to vote for hope".

As he vied for votes, he said the electorate has "the chance to grasp a once-in-a-generation opportunity for real change".

In pledges for the day, the Conservatives have outlined their immigration plans in more detail, in which they would introduce an Australia-style points based system.

Earlier today, Mr Johnson refused to say whether he would quit should the Tories fail to win the general election.

The PM's decision to push for the snap vote could see Jeremy Corbyn make his way into Number 10, which would see Mr Johnson one of the shortest-serving PMs in British history.

Despite polls putting the Conservatives ahead, the prime minister has said he believes there is a real prospect of a Labour and SNP coalition coming into power.

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