Theresa May has once again ruled out a snap general election but that doesn’t mean the temptation to hold one will go away. Today’s ICM poll shows why: the Tories, on 45 per cent, have a 19-point lead over Labour. This pushes the Government’s poll lead up by three points following a fortnight dominated by Philip Hammond’s Budget debacle, his subsequent u-turn over hiking national insurance rates and Theresa May coming under pressure from the SNP.
With Jeremy Corbyn in charge of the Labour party, the usual rules that a government would be punished for a bungled budget need not apply. In fact even after a raft of dismal headlines for Philip Hammond, the Chancellor actually enjoyed a one per cent bounce on the question of who is better able to manage the economy. Meanwhile, youngsters are also deserting Labour in their droves: the Tories now hold a 13 point lead over Labour among 18-to-24 year olds.
All this makes dismal reading for Labour supporters already somewhat inured to misery.
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