Opinion poll bounce for Conservatives after Boris Johnson becomes prime minister

Boris Johnson in the House of Commons - Image credit: PA

The Tories are enjoying a ‘Boris bounce’ in the polls as a number of new surveys put them ahead of Labour on the back of Boris Johnson becoming prime minister

A poll by YouGov at the weekend gives them a 10-point lead over Labour after jumping six points since Johnson entered Downing Street on Wednesday.

In the poll, commissioned by The Sunday Times, the Conservatives are up to 31 per cent of the vote to Labour’s 21 per cent, the biggest lead over the opposition in five months.

It also puts a resurgent Liberal Democrats, under their own new leader Jo Swinson, on 20 per cent, while Nigel Farage’s Brexit party are on 13 per cent, down four points as Johnson has vowed to take a tougher approach with the EU.

Another survey, this time by Deltapoll for the Mail on Sunday, has the Tories on 30 per cent, 10 points up from where the same newspaper had the party at the start of the summer.

This means a six-point lead for Jeremy Corbyn over Theresa May is now a five-point advantage for Johnson, prompting further speculation the new PM will call an early election.

But it said fortunes would be reversed if Labour ditched Corbyn, with 34 per cent saying they would vote for the party under a different leader, and 28 per cent voting Tory in that scenario.

A third poll, by ComRes for the Sunday Express, is less favourable for Johnson but does still see his party climb three points to 28 per cent and enjoy a one-point lead over Labour.

And he will be encouraged by the figures showing an overwhelming majority think he will make a better PM than Jeremy Corbyn, 64 per cent to 36 per cent, and even among Labour voters is preferred by one in eight.

Elsewhere an Opinium survey in the Observer shows the Tories have gained seven points since two weeks ago to now take a two-point lead over Labour, who had previously been ahead by two per cent.

The surge under Boris Johnson also appears to have come at the expense of the Brexit Party, with a 12-point swing among Leave voters returning to the Conservatives.

And the poll suggests without May at the helm more would be willing to back them at a general election, as the new leader also enjoys a 21-point lead over Corbyn on who would make the best PM.