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A new poll shows Keir Starmer’s Labour is ‘behind the most corrupt’ government in a lifetime

Kier Starmer’s Labour Party are now 14 points behind the Tories, according to new polling.

A YouGov poll for the Times has the Tories up two points to 43% and Labour down five to 29%. The Greens and Lib Dems are both up two points.

As Patrick Maguire points out, this is only one poll and it comes directly after lockdown has been eased, but:

nonetheless it is the kind of result that will make Westminster sit bolt upright

He adds:

That is not only YouGov’s clearest Tory lead of the year, the 50th in a row recorded by all pollsters, but it pegs Labour as less popular than they were under Jeremy Corbyn.

Twitter had quite a bit to say about the new figures. Former Labour MP Emma Dent Coad was disturbed:

Councillor John Edwards reminded everyone what the polls looked like during the era of anti-Corbyn coups:

Some predicted the polls would get worse if Starmer kept trying to out-Tory the Tories.

Stats for Lefties predicted the worst outcomes for decades if Labour keeps to its current course:

Others questioned claims that the power of the pub opening effect had informed the increased Tory lead:

As Maguire noted, it will also worry Labour MPs that the party is losing points to other centre-left parties like the Greens:

If borne out over the weeks until polling day, Labour MPs might start conducting their conversations about Starmer’s leadership at a higher volume

Its hard to say what will happen to Starmer in the short-term, but one lesson of the last few years is that centrist and right-wing Labour MPs are nothing if not ruthless when they want rid of someone.

Featured image via Wikimedia Commons/Rwendland

By Joe Glenton

This post was originally published on The Canary.