Tories see vaccine bounce to take five-point poll lead over Labour
New polling has revealed a post-vaccine bounce for the government, with the Tories now leading Labour by five points.
The Opinium poll has Boris Johnson’s Conservatives at 42 per cent and Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour on 37 per cent.
The jump has coincided with the government’s rollout of the vaccine, which has been among the globe’s quickest.
Foreign secretary Dominic Raab told Sky News today he was “confident” the UK will have jabbed the 15m Britons most vulnerable to Covid by tomorrow.
The Opinium poll shows 62 per cent of Britons approve of the government’s vaccine roll out.
Disapproval of the government’s handling of Covid has also fallen from 51 to 45 per cent.
The survey revealed that 38 per cent of people most trust Johnson and chancellor Rishi Sunak with the economy, compared to 26 per cent for Starmer and shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds.
Adam Drummond, Head of Political Polling, said: “The Conservatives may be finally seeing a vaccine bounce as they take their first clear lead over Labour after months of the two parties level pegging and exchanging statistically insignificant leads.
“Strong approval for the management of the vaccine rollout may not have translated into increased approval of the government’s wider pandemic response but it has at least reduced the percentage who disapprove.”
It comes after Starmer has faced a rocky couple of weeks, with some pundits saying his early momentum has stalled a year after being elected leader.
Some shadow ministers have briefed against Starmer, saying he needs a clearer vision for what Labour is now about.
The Sunday Times reports that he has brought in former Tony Blair spin doctor, and cabinet secretary, Lord Peter Mandelson to help strategise.