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May plays down election loss poll

Theresa May says the poll that matters is the one on June 8, after polling suggested a hung parliament.

British Prime Minister Theresa May
A new poll shows the UK Conservatives could fall short of claiming a majority in the June election. (AAP)

Theresa May has played down polling that puts her on course to lose the General Election.

The Prime Minister insists the only poll that matters is the June 8 vote after the seat projection study suggested the UK faces a hung parliament.

The constituency-by-constituency estimate for The Times by YouGov indicates the Conservative Party could lose 20 seats and see its majority wiped out, while Jeremy Corbyn's Labour may gain 28 seats.

The analysis is based on a complex model and suggests Mrs May's gamble of calling a snap election in the hope of a landslide win could backfire spectacularly.

During a visit to Plymouth Fisheries, where she met local fishermen, Mrs May said: "The only poll that matters is the one that's going to take place on June 8 and then people will have a choice as to who they want to see as leader, who they want to see as prime minister taking this country forward in the future, me or Jeremy Corbyn.

"I have the plan for the Brexit negotiations but I've also got a plan to build a stronger and more prosperous Britain and I'm confident we can do that because I believe in Britain and I believe in the British people."

YouGov chief executive Stephan Shakespeare said the data could change dramatically between now and June 8.

"The data suggests that there is churn on all fronts, with the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats all likely to both lose and gain seats," he wrote in The Times.

"Based on the model's current estimates, some seats are likely to change hands along EU referendum dividing lines.

"This is just a snapshot based on data from the past seven days and people can and do change their minds in the closing days of a general election campaign."


2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP



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