Labour and the Conservatives are showing no sign of recovering popularity among voters as the Brexit Party continues to lead the way, a new poll suggests.
Nigel Farage’s infant outfit remains the best-backed party ahead of the next election with more than a quarter (26 per cent) of voters supporting it, according to analysis by YouGov for the Times.
And the Remainer Lib Dems has surged clear into second place on 22 per cent, up from 20 per cent last week.
In contrast Labour and the Tories have both lost support as they continue to argue in plain sight over Brexit.
In an alarming development for Labour as it continues to sit on the fence over leaving the EU it fell from 20 per cent to just 18 per cent.
But in a sign that will be picked up and amplified by candidates in the Tory leadership race the Conservatives fell from 18 per cent to 17 per cent to remain in fourth place.
Nigel Farage’s infant outfit remains the best-backed party ahead of the next election with more than a quarter (26 per cent) of voters supporting it
The poll came as leadership race favourite Boris Johnson today bowed to pressure and agreed to take part in a live televised debate after being accused of being a coward and hiding by rivals as the race to replace Theresa May turned nasty.
But the former foreign secretary has snubbed the first planned multi-candidate programme, due to be broadcast on Channel 4 on Sunday, saying he will instead appear in a second event the BBC on Tuesday.
The move means he will will face a less crowded field of opponents. It takes place almost immediately after the next round of leadership votes, in which several of the six remaining candidates are expected to fail to meet the 33 vote target to progress to round three.
A Channel 4 spokesman said: ‘We are disappointed that Mr Johnson will not be taking part in the debate to face members of the public for full scrutiny alongside the other candidates.
‘There will be a lectern available if he changes his mind.’
Mr Johnson’s announcement, made to the BBC, came after he was taunted by Jeremy Hunt over his failure to commit to going head-to-head with other challengers for the Tory leadership.
Rory Stewart performed a screeching u-turn today, saying he would be prepared to serve Boris Johnson if he becomes Prime Minister hours after threatening to set up a rebel Parliament against him.
The International development Secretary, who previously described himself as the ‘anti-Boris’ choice in the race to replace Theresa May, said he would be ‘honoured to serve’ if asked.
He said he would be prepared to take a ministerial post if there was a No Deal Brexit ‘crisis’ – having yesterday launched a blistering on suggestions Mr Johnson might shut down Parliament to get the UK out of the EU by October.
Sir Vince Cable’s Lib Dems, who unveiled Chuka Umunna (right) as their latest MP today, surged clear into second place on 22 per cent, up from 20 per cent last week
The poll seems likely to refocus minds in the Tory leadership race, led by some distance by Boris Johnson (pictured today)
The abrupt change of heart came as Matt Hancock pulled out of the leadership contest – amid squabbling over who should take on runaway favourite Mr Johnson.
The Health Secretary dramatically quit admitting the party was not going to elect him as leader – sparking speculation he could line up behind Jeremy Hunt or Sajid Javid.
Meanwhile the poll seemed to vindicate Chuka Umunna’s decision to quit Change UK for the Lib dems, with his former home polling just one per cent.
And Ukip effectively polled zero per cent, YouGov said, after seeing its support flee for Mr Farage’s new party.
Matt Hancock’s decision to withdraw from the leadership race means the remaining candidates are now scrambling to win over his 20 backers
Tory Muslim group chief compares Boris Johnson to HITLER and vows to quit party if ‘insufficiently moral buffoon’ becomes leader
Boris Johnson has been compared to Adolf Hitler by the chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum who vowed to quit the Tories if the frontrunner becomes the party’s next leader.
Mohammed Amin, a Tory party member for 36 years, said the former foreign secretary was a ‘buffoon’ who was not ‘sufficiently moral’ to be prime minister.
He claimed that while Mr Johnson was popular with MPs and Tory members, ‘popularity is not the test’ and added: ‘A lot of Germans thought that Hitler was the right man for them.’
Mr Johnson, who today confirmed he will take part in a televised leadership debate, topped the first round of voting on Thursday after he was backed by 114 Conservative MPs.
The other Tory contenders for the leadership are now squabbling over who should become Mr Johnson’s main challenger for the keys to Number 10 with his first haul of votes enough to almost guarantee he will be one of the final two candidates.
Meanwhile, Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, announced he was dropping out of the race and the battle is now on among the other candidates to hoover up the 20 Tory MPs who backed him in the first ballot.
Mr Johnson provoked widespread criticism after he wrote in a column for The Telegraph last August that Muslim women who wore burkas looked like ‘letter boxes’ and ‘bank robbers’.
Mohammed Amin, a Tory party member for 36 years, said on Radio 4’s Today programme the former foreign secretary was a ‘buffoon’ who was not ‘sufficiently moral’ to be prime minister
His candidacy took a hit this morning as Mr Amin compared the former mayor of London to the Nazi leader.
‘There are many horrible people who have been popular,’ he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
‘Popularity is not the test. The test is, is this person sufficiently moral to be prime minister, and I believe he fails that test.’
Told that comparing Mr Johnson with Hitler was ‘shocking’, Mr Amin defended his comments and said: ‘I am not saying Boris Johnson wants to send people to the gas chamber, clearly he doesn’t.
‘He’s a buffoon. But he as far as I am concerned has insufficient concern about the nature of truth for me to ever be a member of a party that he leads.’
Mr Amin said he would quit the Tories if Mr Johnson won the battle to take over from Theresa May.
‘I am not prepared to be a member of a party that chooses him as its leader,’ he said.
‘I would resign after 36 years.’
Mr Amin later told Sky News he believed other Muslim members of the Conservative Party would also quit if Mr Johnson wins the leadership election.