Tory support appears to be in free fall amid the Brexit chaos today as a new poll showed the party down 10 per cent in a month.
Today’s BMG poll comes just a day after a Kantar survey showed a nine per cent plunge in support.
Both polls put Theresa May’s party in second place behind Labour amid mounting public anger at the shambolic handling of Brexit.
Two successive polls showing dramatic falls in support will deeply alarm Tory HQ ahead of local elections on May 2 and likely European elections on May 23.
A drubbing at the ballot box would add further pressure to Mrs May’s ailing position as she fights off attempts by Tory Brexiteers to oust her.
Tory support appears to be in free fall amid the Brexit chaos today as a new poll showed the party down 10 per cent in a month
Both polls put Theresa May’s party in second place behind Labour amid mounting public anger at the shambolic handling of Brexit
Labour has also lost ground, according to the BMG poll, down three to 32 per cent.
The Liberal Democrats, Ukip, Independent Group and Brexit Party are all closely matched at just below 10 per cent.
The blow to Mrs May comes as she prepares to face furious MPs today to explain why Brexit has been postponed for a second time to October 31.
The Halloween exit was confirmed in the early hours of this morning after EU leaders finally reached an agreement on how long to let Britain stay in the club.
Amid the chaos triggered by MPs three-time rejection of the deal, yesterday’s polling found more than half of people now support putting the Brexit deal to a referendum.
Across all voters, 51 per cent say it should have a public vote while just 32 per cent are opposed. Leave voters split 53 per cent to 35 per cent against, while Remain voters are heavily split 62 per cent to 22 per cent in favour.
According to the poll if a new referendum were held, 41 per cent say they would Remain, with 35 per cent backing Leave – with just nine per cent saying they don’t know and the rest vowing not to take part at all.
Fewer than one in four people say Britain should end the impasse by leaving the EY with No Deal, with one in three saying Brexit should be cancelled instead.
The Prime Minister is set to face a bruising in the Commons at lunchtime where she will give a statement after EU leaders humiliated her at a crunch Brussels summit that ended at 2am today.
Two successive polls showing dramatic falls in support will deeply alarm Tory HQ ahead of local elections on May 2 and likely European elections on May 23
ERG Chairman Jacob Rees-Mogg said today: ‘I thought that Mrs May said she wouldn’t agree to another delay and now we are getting quite a long one. People expected to leave on March 29 and now we are heading towards Halloween – there is symbolism in that’.
While fellow Brexiteer Michael Fabricant said: ‘Having sunk to humiliating herself and our nation by begging for more time in Brussels, the Prime Minister should not expect to be buoyed by her party’s support’.
European Council president Donald Tusk gave Mrs May a glimmer of hope that the UK could leave before October, saying the ‘course of action is entirely in the UK’s hands’ – but urged them: ‘Don’t waste this time’.
Mrs May had begged them to postpone Britain’s departure until June 30 while she talks to Jeremy Corbyn – but this was rejected, leaving the PM in a precarious position having repeatedly said she could not ‘countenance’ Britain staying in the EU after that date.
Kantar’s new poll also finds more than half of people now support putting the Brexit deal to a referendum. Across all voters, 51 per cent say it should have a public vote while just 32 per cent are opposed
Tory MPs are plotting to oust her will now try to change party rules that mean she cannot be fired within 12 months of winning a no confidence vote, which was last held in December. But they may try to gather the 10,000 signatures required from Tory members to change party rules and oust her.
Speaking in Brussels at 2am Mrs May insisted the Halloween extension leaves the door open to the UK leaving as early as next month if she is able to get her deal through Parliament at the fourth time of asking.
She said: ‘What we have agreed means that we can actually leave the European Union before June 30.
‘I know that there is huge frustration from many people that I had to request this extension. The choices we now face are stark, and the timetable is clear. So we must now press on at pace with our efforts to reach consensus on a deal which is in the national interest.’
Asked if she owed the country an apology for not securing Brexit by now, Mrs May replied: ‘Over the last three months I have voted three times to leave the European Union.
‘If sufficient members of Parliament had voted with me in January we would already be out of the European Union’.
But she added that she would she would seek more talks with Jeremy Corbyn today – but would not be drawn on when she planned to quit as former leader Iain Duncan Smith said she must stick to her promise to resign next month while veteran Brexiteer MP Sir Bill Cash said Mrs May must go immediately.