Against all the odds, a new poll of Welsh voters has revealed that Labour have completely reversed their fortunes in Wales. While polls prior to the Conservative manifesto launch had them trailing the Tories by six points, this latest poll has indicated a HUGE swing to Labour, who are now leading by ten points.
After the release of the uncosted, fox-killing, elderly-freezing Tory manifesto, national polls have also indicated that Labour are gaining support at the expense of the Conservatives. It is clear that the public are seeing the Conservatives for what they really are after the release of their manifesto, with Labour seeing a 4% jump nationally in polls where the fieldwork was completed after Theresa May’s shambolic launch last week.
However, this increase in Wales is unlike anything that we’ve seen over this election so far. The huge swing towards Labour questions the theory that Corbyn is putting Labour’s traditional heartlands at risk by pursuing a left-wing manifesto. In reality, the vast majority of the public support Labour’s manifesto, and this latest poll indicates that the Welsh public are flocking to Jeremy Corbyn now the two policy programmes are being compared and contrasted on TV screens across the country.
While local election results in Wales earlier this month were not particularly inspiring for Corbyn’s camp, they will be delighted to see that they have not only made up lost ground but hammered the Conservatives into second place with a significant lead – in a matter of weeks.
With Labour only eight points behind nationally – who is to say that they can’t make up that deficit exactly like they have done in Wales? This extraordinary poll is a slap in the face to every single pundit who wrote Corbyn’s Labour off not only in Wales, but in this election altogether.
Welsh Westminster voting intention:
LAB: 44% (+9)
CON: 34% (-7)
PC: 9% (-2)
LDEM: 6% (-1)
UKIP: 5% (+1)(via @YouGov / 18 – 21 May)
— Britain Elects (@BritainElects) May 22, 2017
One thing is clear: despite the ferocious Tory smears of Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party – they have all the momentum. Only today, Theresa May had to backtrack over (but not scrap) the so-called ‘dementia tax’. This move has been ridiculed by Labour, who claim that May’s government is one of “chaos and confusion”, not strength and stability.
There is an evident correlation – as more people see Theresa May and her policy programme in full, gory detail, more people are also flocking to Corbyn’s Labour . With only two and a half weeks left until polling day, the race is on. It could well be the most important two and a half weeks in British political history.
