Politics latest news: Labour poll lead over Tories narrows in blow to Starmer after local elections

Labour’s poll lead over the Tories has narrowed to its smallest margin since Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister in a boost for the premier after he suffered a bruising set of local election results.

A Redfield & Wilton Strategies survey conducted on May 7 put Labour on 41 per cent of the vote, down by five points on just over a week ago, while the Tories were on 29 per cent, up by one point.

Labour’s 12 point lead ties its narrowest lead over the Conservative Party since Rishi Sunak took over from Liz Truss last October.

The numbers will give Tory MPs some hope that the party is heading in the right direction despite losing approximately 1,000 councillors at the ballot box last week.

Meanwhile, the poll also revealed a surge in support for the Liberal Democrats, with the party up by four points to 16 per cent overall, which is its highest score since the 2019 general election.