London: At least three British opinion polls have predicted a wipeout for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative party with one pollster warning of an "electoral extinction" in the upcoming July 4 elections.
PM Sunak has reportedly struggled to restore his party's sinking popularity despite recasting himself at various points over the past year as a bold reformer. After 14 years in opposition, the Labour Party now has the chance to win back power with Keir Starmer at the helm.
In addition, Reform UK’s surge in the recent polls poses a direct threat to the Conservative Party’s voter base. Its leader Nigel Farage’s rhetoric that a vote for the Conservatives is a wasted vote resonates with many voters who feel that the Tories have strayed from their core principles.
A Survation poll for Best for Britain, published by The Times, predicts Labour could secure 456 seats and the Conservatives could end up with just 72 seats in the 650-member House of Commons -- lowest in their nearly 200-year history.
Market research company Savanta found 46 per cent support for Keir Starmer's Labour Party, up 2 points on the previous poll five days ago, while support for the Conservatives dropped to 21 per cent.
A third poll by Opinium for Sunday's Observer, conducted from June 12 to June 14, also showed Labour on 40 per cent, the Conservatives on 23 per cent and Reform on 14 per cent, with the two largest parties yielding ground to smaller rivals.
The polls come just over halfway through the election campaign, after a week in which both the Conservatives and Labour set out their manifestos, and shortly before voters begin to receive postal ballots, Reuters reported.
Sunak, struggling to meet his election promises, including a vow to grow the economy and resolve the cost-of-living crisis, abruptly announced elections on July 4 surprising many senior Conservatives, with some even considering submitting letters of no confidence, according to The Guardian.
