Nearly half of Britons back Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservatives, according to an opinion poll published Sunday. It's an encouraging sign for the Tories, who could be on course for a sweeping election victory.
The Labour party is a distant second, polling between 25 and 29 percent. Centrist opposition Liberal Democrats received support between 11 and 12 percent and anti-EU ticket UK Independence Party (UKIP) saw a drop in support, hovering between 7 and 9 percent in the three polls.
The decision to call for a snap election appears to be working for the Conservative Party, also known as the Tories. The current level of support has not been seen since 1991, according to the ComRes poll, where May's party has 50 percent of the nation's support. ComRes conducted its survey for the "Sunday Mirror" newspaper.
May decided to call a snap election in June in order to strengthen her position as the UK negotiates its departure from the EU, commonly referred to as Brexit. Support for the Conservatives stems from strengthened support from UKIP supporters and the internal turmoil in the Labour Party.
According to the ComRes poll, nearly half of UKIP voters said they would vote for the Tories in the upcoming election (48 percent), up from 31 percent from the previous weekend. The Labour Party is also experiencing internal strife in regards to their leader, Jeremy Corbyn. Just 15 percent of those polled in the YouGov poll said Corbyn would be the best choice for prime minister, compared to May at 54 percent.
While the first signs are promising for Conservatives, ComRes chairman Andrew Hawkins said Tory supporters should not be complacent.
"It is nonetheless a particular challenge in an election which may well be marked by low turnout and thus bring about some unpredictable and possibly surprising individual constituency results," said Hawkins.
Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party is in trouble according to early pollsImage: picture-alliance/dpa
Conservatives see support in Scotland
The Conservative Party also saw a jump in support in Scotland. According to "The Times of London", the Tories are on their way to winning 12 more seats in Scotland.
If the current analysis holds, it could spell trouble for another Scottish referendum vote to try to leave the UK. Scotland previously held a referendum vote to become an independent country in 2014, with the "No" ticket winning 55.3 percent of the vote.
Who's who in the UK snap election
UK Prime Minister May has called for a general election to take place on June 8, framing it as vote to counter the opposition's political road-blocking on Brexit. DW lays out the major players, parties and positions.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/PA Wire
May calls voters to the polls
On April 18, British Prime Minister Theresa May called for an early general election, bumping it up from 2020. British voters are set to cast their ballots for the House of Commons' 650 seats on June 8. Brexit will likely dominate the campaign agenda, with many perceiving the election as a vote on May's Brexit leadership.
Image: Getty Images/D.Kitwood
Reason to be happy
Though May had previously denied she would call for an early ballot, she argued snap elections were now necessary to counter the opposition's "political game-playing" on the UK's departure from the European Union (EU). For May, who took office after David Cameron resigned in the wake of the Brexit referendum, the vote marks her first attempt to secure a popular mandate.
Image: Reuters/N. Hall
Conservatives stand to profit
With the opposition at its weakest position in years, the early election will likely prove a major boon to the Tories, allowing them to comfortably expand their current 17-seat majority in the House of Commons. Overall, the Conservatives have backed May's leadership as she steers the UK towards a hard Brexit, which includes removing the country from the European single market.
Image: Reuters/N. Hall
Jeremy Corbyn on board
Embattled Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn announced his support of May's call for snap elections. He will attempt to position his party as an "effective alternative" to the Tories. Corbyn, a traditional labourist, will campaign on reversing government austerity, nationalizing railways, and investing in wages, all while steering clear of Brexit so as to not alienate the party's pro-leavers.
Image: Reuters/P. Nicholls
Battles within the Labour party
Analysts predict few election gains for Labour, however, as Corbyn's Old Labour policies and refusal to bend to backbench opposition have split the party. Some Labour MPs challenged his support of snap election, and Labour MP Tom Blenkinsop said he would not stand for re-election due to "irreconcilable differences" with Corbyn.
Image: picture alliance/NurPhoto/S. Baker
Farron seeks strong stance
Tim Farron, current leader of the Liberal Democrats said that, "only the Liberal Democrats can prevent a Conservative majority." After the party's coalition with the Conservatives under Cameron, the Lib Dems were smashed in 2015 national elections, receiving only nine seats. For Farron, the snap election will be a chance for him to significantly build up his party's representation in parliament.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/R.Pinney
The "real opposition"
The pro-EU and economically liberal party also used May's announcement to call for a second Brexit referendum. In terms of the June elections, the Lib Dems could benefit from disaffected pro-EU Labour voters and those who seek a "soft Brexit" that would keep the UK in the European single market. According to the party, 1,000 people registered as Lib Dems just after May's announcement.
Trouble brewing in the north
Like the Lib Dems' Farron, first minister of the Scottish government and Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon clearly positioned herself against May, describing the Prime Minister's move as a "huge political miscalculation." May and Sturgeon have been a loggerheads over whether or not a second Scottish referendum can go forward before Brexit comes into effect.
Image: Reuters/R. Cheyne
Support for independence?
The SNP already holds 54 of Scotland's allotted 59 MP seats, leaving little room for gain. However, the party is also unlikely to lose seats as their support has stayed steady. A majority of Scots voted to remain in the EU, meaning that Sturgeon could frame the election as both a call to Downing Street to consider a "soft Brexit" option and to consult the devolved nations in exit negotiations.
Image: Getty Images/C. Jackson
UKIP slips into the shadows
Despite being a major player in the campaign to take the UK out of the EU, the UK Independence Party (UKIP) currently has just one seat in parliament. However, the Euroskeptic party still has a support base, and leader Paul Nuttall will seek to paint May as a political opportunist. Yet this will not likely translate into seats as many former UKIP voters have joined May's "hard Brexit" bandwagon.
Image: Getty Images/J. Taylor
Bumper year of elections
Other parties currently holding Commons' seats include the Greens (one), Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (eight) and Sinn Fein (four), as well as Wales' Plaid Cymru (three). The June 8 election date places the UK's national election between that of France (April/May) and Germany (September), meaning parliamentary chambers on both sides of the channel may be in for a shake up.
