Labour edge ahead in UK polls as public trust in Theresa May over Brexit ‘collapses’

Labour has overtaken the Conservatives across the UK as public trust in Theresa May’s ability to reach a good Brexit deal plummets, according to a poll.

In a major boost for Jeremy Corbyn, the ICM survey for the Guardian puts Labour on 41 per cent, up two points from a fortnight ago.

The Tories slipped one point to 40 per cent, with the Lib Dems on 8 per cent, Ukip on 5 per cent and the Greens on 3 per cent. It follows a YouGov poll which puts Labour on 39 per cent and the Conservatives on 38 per cent.

Meanwhile the Prime Minister’s lead over the Labour leader on who is best suited to reach a good Brexit deal has dropped to just eight points, having sat at 16 points in January and a massive 34 points before last year's general election.

According to the ICM poll, just 26 per cent of the public now back the Prime Minister, compared to 18 per cent for Mr Corbyn – a change from 35 per cent and 19 per cent respectively at the beginning of this year.

However 44 per cent of those polled replied “neither” when asked which leader they rated best on the issue.

ICM pollster Alex Turk said: “The public’s trust in Theresa May being able to negotiate a good Brexit deal for the UK has collapsed. 

“It used to be the second strongest area for May compared to Corbyn on the areas we’ve tested, beaten only by protecting people from threats at home and abroad, but now it falls to her fourth strongest area.

“It wasn’t too long ago - back in May 2017 - that almost half (47 per cent) of the public trusted May most to do the best job of negotiating Brexit.

“To see this proportion collapse to just over a quarter (26 per cent) on what’s considered the biggest issue of the day could explain some of the pressure exerted on her leadership coming from within her party in recent weeks.

He added: When couched in terms of negotiating Brexit, there seems to be a public appetite for someone else entirely. We’ve seen those who trust neither May nor Corbyn to negotiate a good Brexit deal jump from 31 per cent in January to 44 per cent in this poll. 

“This now means that, more than in any other area we ask, a large slice of the British public tend to trust neither May nor Corbyn on Brexit.