Labor takes eight points ahead of Tories after PM hit by Christmas party allegations

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Labor has taken an eight-point lead over the Tories after the party has come under fire in recent weeks over allegations of Christmas parties being held during the Covid restrictions, a new poll has revealed.

Commissioned by The Sunday Times and conducted by nearly 25,000 people, the poll suggests that the popularity of the Tories has taken a hit since allegations of anti-containment parties held last December emerged earlier this month.

The results of a constituency-by-constituency poll, conducted in December, suggest Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer would have won the general election with a majority of 26 seats. He also found that Mr Johnson had reportedly lost his seat at Uxbridge & South Ruislip.

Cabinet ministers, including Alok Sharma and George Eustice, have also reportedly lost their seats, the newspaper reported.

In the three weeks the poll was conducted, the Conservative Party faced a number of allegations of Christmas parties being held in Downing Street and elsewhere – including a Christmas quiz and drinks hosted by the candidate for London City Hall Shaun Bailey at the Conservatives’ headquarters.

Mr Johnson has also faced a backbench rebellion over rolling out new restrictions to curb the spread of Omicron – including Covid passes as part of his ‘Plan B’ measures – and a partial electoral defeat in the former Tory stronghold of North Shropshire.

The poll suggests the Labor Party would win 40 percent of the vote and the Conservative Party 32 percent, with 338 seats and 237 seats won respectively.

Labor has also seen an increase in support in the capital, according to the poll, claiming another 10 seats from the Tories.

It comes after Sir Keir called Mr Johnson “dishonest” because he said the Prime Minister was now seen for “who he really is” by voters.

Sir Keir said “I don’t think a lot of people believe it, certainly not” of his response to the allegations about the anti-lockdown Christmas parties in Downing Street.

In an interview with Times Radio, the Labor leader said he would not make formal deals with rival parties to defeat the Tories, but said he would target resources on the seats most likely to vote Labor.

The Liberal Democrats won the Tory by-elections in North Shropshire, Chesham and Amersham in 2021, and are more likely to pose a threat to Mr Johnson’s party in some of its southern centers than Labor.

Sir Keir said: “I think we should have a Labor candidate that people can vote for wherever they live. And depriving them of that is not the right thing to do.

But “given the scale of the task we face, given my absolute determination that we will cross the line in the next general election, I am very clear on our target seats.”

He said people like North Shropshire and Chesham and Amersham were “not on my target seat list” and “I kind of have to take an approach, given the situation we find ourselves in, which is very clearly focused on the route for the Labor Party to win power in the next parliamentary elections ”.

Gaining back seats in Scotland is also a major challenge for Labor if they are to win the next election.

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