Labour on Track for 1997-Style Landslide Over Tories: Poll Says

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Labour holds a 17-point lead over the Conservative Party, setting up a potential landslide win at the next general election similar to Tony Blair’s in 1997, according to a BMG survey for the i newspaper.

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The poll shows voters favor Keir Starmer’s Labour Party on most issues, from the cost of living, housing and the National Health Service to traditional Tory priority areas like crime, defense and Brexit. The only area where Conservatives were favored was on the war in Ukraine.

When asked about their satisfaction with party leaders, respondents put Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at net approval of -20, compared to +3 for Starmer. 

The survey was consistent with expectations for the Conservatives to face a wipe-out at the next general election, to be held no later than January 2025. Labour in 1997 won a 179-seat majority under Blair’s leadership. Some projections see many top Tory MPs losing their seats.

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If an election were to be held now, about 46% of the public would vote for Labour, 29% for the Conservatives, 9% for the Liberal Democrats, 6% for Reform UK, and 4% for the Green Party. 

BMG Research polled 1,500 adults online from Feb. 21 to Feb. 23. No margin of error was given. 

Starmer recently set out his party’s five long-term “missions” for Britain if Labour wins power, and pledged that the UK would see the “highest sustained growth” in the Group of Seven nations, ensure the ailing NHS is rendered fit for the future, and make Britain a “clean energy superpower.”

Read more: Can Labour’s Pledges Get Britain to Top the G-7 Growth League?