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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

YouGov poll shows May’s lead falls to 3 percentage points

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LONDON: British Prime Minister Theresa May’s gamble on a snap election was under question on Thursday after the latest opinion polls showed her Conservative Party’s lead was dwindling just a week before voting begins.


Failure to win the June 8 election with a large majority would weaken May just as formal Brexit talks are due to begin while the loss of her majority in parliament would pitch British politics into turmoil.


In the strongest signal yet that the election is much closer than previously thought, May’s lead has collapsed from 24 points since she surprised both rivals and financial markets on April 18 by calling the election.


A YouGov survey showed May’s lead at a fresh low of 3 percentage points with the opposition Labour party polling 39 per cent against the Conservatives’ 42 per cent.


There was slightly better news for May from a Panelbase poll which put her party 8 points ahead of Labour, but that still meant the Conservatives’ advantage had almost halved in a week.


Meanwhile a separate YouGov model based on different data estimated the Conservatives would win 317 seats, nine short of an overall majority of 326 seats.


In a hectic campaign which was suspended after a suicide bombing last week, pollsters, who universally got it wrong before the last vote in 2015, have offered a vast range for the result of the election: From May losing her majority to a landslide victory for her Conservatives of more than 100 seats.


“From the pollsters’ point of view this is an experimental election. We all got it wrong in 2015 and we are all trying different methods to get it right this year,” said Anthony Wells, a research director at YouGov.


Betting that she would win a strong majority, May called the snap election to strengthen her position at home as she embarked on complicated Brexit negotiations with 27 other members of the European Union.  — Reuters


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