Labour open up sizeable poll lead over Tories after May publishes Chequers Brexit plan

Conservative support falls while UKIP revives amid Brexit turmoil

Labour has opened up its biggest lead over the Tories since the general election, according to polls carried out after the prime minister unveiled her Brexit plans.

The fallout from the controversial Chequers summit appears to have caused a drop in support for the Conservatives and a revival of fortunes for UKIP.

A poll carried out for the Observer by Opinium on 10 July puts the Tories on 36 per cent, a fall of six points since June, while Labour remained on 40 per cent. UKIP rose by five points to eight per cent.

If the results were repeated at a general election, the Tories would lose around 50 seats and Labour would be the largest party, albeit 26 seats short of a majority.

Another poll, by Deltapoll for The Sun on Sunday, puts the Tories on 37 per cent and Labour on 42 per cent.

It also suggested that 62 per cent of voters think Theresa May should stand down before the next general election.

Only seven per cent of voters believed the Chequers plans was the best Brexit solution.

Ian Lavery MP, chair of the Labour Party, said: “Theresa May’s so-called plan doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.

“The Tories are botching Brexit, so the Prime Minister has resorted to shameless threats aimed at the British people.

“No one – not the public, Parliament or the Conservative party – is happy with Theresa May’s offer. This has descended into a shambles.”

Steve Baker MP, who resigned as Brexit minister after the Chequers summit, greeted the polls by tweeting: "It looks like Chequers means Corbyn."

Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg told The Sun: "This poll demonstrates, unsurprisingly, that voters have seen through the surrender paper."

Theresa May has warned rebel Conservative MPs that Brexit might not happen at all if they do not back her plans.

“We need to keep our eyes on the prize," she wrote in the Mail on Sunday. "If we don’t, we risk ending up with no Brexit at all."

Her warning comes after both Boris Johnson and David Davis resigned in protest at the Chequers plan and Donald Trump criticised her approach to Brexit during his official visit to the UK.

Ms May has revealed that the US president advised her to sue the EU rather than go into negotiations.

Theresa May's lead over Jeremy Corbyn on who would make the best prime minister has dropped to just four points, according to the Opinium poll.