Tories ahead of Labour in poll after Badenoch becomes leader

The Conservatives were rated two points ahead of Labour in a survey of voter opinions

The Tories have opened up a two-point lead over Labour after choosing Kemi Badenoch as the party leader, new polling shows.
The Conservatives are ahead with 29 per cent of voters compared to Labour’s 27 per cent – the largest Conservative lead since Labour’s landslide general election victory in July.
The survey, by More in Common, had Reform UK in third place on 19 per cent of the vote, the Liberal Democrats on 11 per cent and the Greens on eight per cent.
A previous poll, carried out by BMG research at the end of October, had put the Tories one point ahead of Labour following the Budget.
The Government’s plunging numbers appear to be the result of Sir Keir Starmer’s popularity rating collapse since becoming Prime Minister. His rating is down nearly 40 points since its peak in early August.
Mrs Badenoch has a net approval rating of -3, compared to Sir Keir’s -25, though a majority of voters surveyed said they were “unfamiliar” with the new Tory leader.
Rows over freebies, along with the unpopular cut to the winter fuel allowance, have contributed to Labour’s fall in support, polling experts said.
The poll comes amid mounting criticism of Labour’s unpopular plan to impose inheritance tax on farmland worth over £1 million. The proposal was one of Labour’s least popular measures in the Budget, with almost six in 10 voters opposed, according to More in Common.
Luke Tryl, the polling firm’s UK director, put the latest findings down to Labour’s perceived “missteps” since taking over in July, adding that a new Tory leader had allowed voters to imagine an alternative, boosting the party’s rating.
Mr Tryl said: “We know that things like the cuts to the winter fuel allowance had an impact on [Labour’s] standing, similar to the row over freebies. That’s now translating into a boost for the Tories because they now have a leader. There’s a leader people can imagine voting for.”
At the time of his resignation as prime minister, Rishi Sunak had net approval ratings of -35, according to More in Common, suggesting that the Tories’ improved polling position was at least in part down to Mrs Badenoch being regarded as different from the former government.
Explaining why Labour had seen such a fall since the election, Mr Tryl said: “People think there’s been mistakes. We have a much more volatile electorate, and people are impatient. The era of long honeymoons is over.”