LONDON (Bywire News) - The latest national Westminster voting intention poll spearheaded by Redfield & Wilton Strategies projects the Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, as enjoying a consistent 16-point lead over the Conservatives. A point of note in these results is the static nature of both major parties' percentages, with Labour at 44% and the Conservatives at 28%.
Meanwhile, an upward trajectory is noted for the Liberal Democrats, who, while grabbing a 2% rise, buzzes in with a 14% vote share. It's a slight setback, however, for Reform UK, down by 1% to a 6% share, whilst both the Green Party and the Scottish National Party stand firm at 4% and 3% respectively.
Interestingly, party loyalty seems to be under review, particularly within the Conservative camp, where 12% are undecided about their voting stance, compared to a mere 3% of wavering voters within Labour's base. This corollary is further underlined by the fact that only 61% of individuals who voted Conservative in 2019 remain committed, while Labour commands a stalwart 89% of its 2019 voters.
Healthcare has ballooned as a crucial deciding factor for 54% of voters, followed by the economy at 52%. Also of import to voters are education (31%), immigration (28%), and environmental concerns (21%).
Labour supporters appear confident of their electoral prospects in a hypothetical General Election within the next six months, 32% believe a Labour majority will be the outcome, strengthened by another 11% who foresee a Labour-led minority Government. The Conservative party, however, draw less consensus, with only 26% expecting a majority and an identical 11%% predicting a minority Government.
The present Government's competency rating, always a crucial consideration, saw a minor uptick, moving up by two points to -21%% this week. On the battlefront of individual performances, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak consequently saw a 3-point increase to a -12%% net approval rating over the last week, whereas Labour leader Keir Starmer leads the pack with a strong +15% rating—the highest he's held since November 2022—with merely 25%% disapproving of his job performance, 4 points fewer than last week.
In a hypothetical Prime Minister face-off, Starmer solidly bests Sunak by 17 points—46% to Sunak's diminished 29%%—equalling the largest lead he's ever held, thus mapping a tantalising picture of Britain's political landscape as we navigate the future.