Labour opens up 4-point lead over Tories as approval of Boris Johnson’s Covid response plunges
Poll finds public support for closing takeaway coffee shops and nurseries in lockdown
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Your support makes all the difference.Labour has opened up a four-point lead over the Conservatives as public confidence in Boris Johnson’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic continues to fall, according to a new poll.
Research by Opinium showed Labour on 41 per cent, up one point from the company’s last poll, and the Tories on 37 per cent, down by two points – the joint highest lead for the opposition party since the 2019 general election.
It also showed support for the government’s handling of Covid-19 had decreased, with approval down by one point at 30 per cent and disapproval up by two points at 50 per cent.
The findings come amid growing pressure on the prime minister to tighten restrictions by introducing measures as strict as those seen in the first national lockdown in March.
A majority of respondents in the poll said they would support the closure of takeaway coffee shops and cafes (51 per cent) and nurseries (61 per cent), while 53 per cent said they thought people should be banned from walking with anyone outside their household.
There was also an increase in the number of people who thought the government was not doing enough to tackle the pandemic, with 51 per cent believing ministers were underreacting to the crisis and 75 per cent believing they had not reacted quickly enough to the virus.
Earlier this week, a member of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) called for stricter lockdown measures and more financial support for those who could not work remotely to bring down infection rates to a more manageable level.
Professor Andrew Hayward, director of the University College London (UCL) Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, told Times Radio that he was worried about a split between those who could afford to work from home and those who could not.
“I suspect what we're really seeing is a very fast decline [in cases] in those who are staying at home, and either a levelling-off or potentially even a continuing increase in those who are continuing to work,” Professor Hayward said.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has also suggested that he would back further coronavirus measures in order to get the virus under control as quickly as possible.
“[The NHS] is really under strain at the moment and we need to do whatever we can to reduce that strain, particularly in the next few weeks, which are going to be critical," Sir Keir told the Fabian Society’s new year conference on Saturday.
Opinium’s polling this weekend showed that the Labour leader currently beats Mr Johnson in the public’s pick for who would be the best prime minister, with 32 per cent opting for Sir Keir and 29 per cent choosing the Conservative leader.
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