Boost for Nigel Farage as shock poll puts Brexit Party in top spot for next general election
2 min read
Nigel Farage could be within touching distance of a parliamentary majority in the wake of the next general election after a poll put the Brexit Party in the lead spot for the first time.
The new outfit, which won the European Parliament elections last month, has increased two points to 26% in a new Opinium survey about Westminster voting intention for the Observer.
Labour had dropped to second place on 22% after losing seven points in two weeks, while the Tories were in third place on 17% following a fall of five points.
The Lib Dems meanwhile were up five points on 16% of the vote - after the anti-Brexit party topped a poll last week and came second in the European Elections.
A seat projector by the Electoral Calculus website suggested the numbers could leave the Brexit Party just 20 seats short of an outright majority, with 306 MPs after a general election.
Meanwhile, the Green Party saw a big boost in the poll - up eight points to reach 11%, while Change UK was found languishing on just 1%.
Adam Drummond, from Opinium, said: “All of the big winners from the European elections have seen some sort of a boost, with the Brexit party adding another two points to move into first place, while Labour have fallen back significantly.
"While the Lib Dems have experienced a boost, the underreported story from the elections and since then has been the Greens, who have gained eight points since our last poll."
He added: “While the Brexit party and the Lib Dems have been taking votes from Leavers and Remainers respectively, the Greens are unique in taking votes from both sides of the Brexit divide.
“While the usual caveats should apply about how much to read into Westminster voting intention polls, given the proximity to the European elections, the fact is that we might be less than six months out from a general election so these might become relevant very quickly.”
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