Boost for Theresa May as Tories take poll lead for first time since election disaster

The Conservatives have pulled ahead of Labour for the first time since Theresa May lost her Commons majority at the election.

According to a YouGov poll for The Times, support for the Tories is now on 42 per cent, compared to 41 per cent for Labour.

The result represents a shift in fortunes for May's party after a Survation poll at the beginning of the month gave Labour an eight-point lead.

Since then the Tories have trailed behind their rivals, but have gained support over the past week as the Prime Minister finally secured a breakthrough in the Brexit negotiations.

A total of 1,680 voters were surveyed on Sunday and Monday, in the wake of the Prime Minister reaching a preliminary Brexit deal on the Northern Irish border, the rights of EU and UK citizens and the size of the divorce bill.

The survey also found that the Liberal Democrats were unchanged on seven per cent.

The boost comes after May received praise from her party over the Brexit agreement in the Commons.

Both eurosceptics and pro-EU MPs lined up to back their leader, with outspoken backbencher Anna Soubry declaring that there was "complete unanimity" within the party over the deal.  

Although the one point lead falls within the margin of error, the news will nevertheless bolster May, whose leadership has faltered since her poor election performance.

The Prime Minister delivered a disastrous party conference address in September in which she lost her voice and was handed a P45 by a prankster, and soon after saw off an attempted coup against her.