UK politics live: Tories cut Starmer’s poll lead to one point ahead of crucial leadership vote
Tories are just one point behind Labour as party members prepare to knock out one leadership candidate in crunch vote
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In a dramatic twist, the Conservatives have narrowed Labour’s lead to just one point, raising alarms for Sir Keir Starmer’s party months after its sweeping election victory.
The latest More in Common poll revealed the party now sits at 29 per cent, down one percentage point, while the Tories have gained two points, reaching 28 per cent.
This represents the smallest lead Labour has seen since the pollster began tracking voting intentions last year.
Sir Keir’s government is grappling with significant backlash over plans to limit winter fuel payments to pensioners receiving pension credit and the recent gifts row.
But the boost will be welcomed by the Tories, who prepare for a pivotal leadership vote this afternoon to narrow down the field to two candidates.
Four contenders, Robert Jenrick, Kemi Badenoch, James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat are vying to position themselves as the next leader.
Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer is to chair his first cabinet meeting today since the announcement that Sue Gray would leave her post as his chief of staff just three months after Labour came to power.
Her successor, Morgan McSweeney, could attend the meeting as the prime minister seeks to bring Labour’s policy agenda back to the fore after weeks of reported infighting.
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Morgan McSweeney: Who is Sue Gray’s replacement and Labour election guru behind Keir Starmer’s rise to power?
The Budget will give the prime minister a chance to correct his mistakes
How has the team in Number 10 changed and what are the potential implications?
London Underground workers to vote on strikes
London Underground staff are set to vote on potential strikes in response to ongoing disputes regarding pay, terms, and conditions.
The Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) is surveying its members, including those in customer service roles, about their willingness to take industrial action, with the ballot closing on 18 October.
It comes after the union refused the latest offer fro London Underground, which it argues amounts to a pay rise below inflation for most employees and a freeze on many pay ranges.
TSSA general secretary Maryam Eslamdoust said members are “highly likely to vote overwhelmingly in favour of strike action and action short of a strike”.
She added: “Our intention is to send a strong and clear message to London Underground that significant industrial action is on the cards across the network unless they are prepared to meet our aspirations on pay, as well as dealing positively with all other aspects of our dispute.”
UK population sees record surge as migration outpaces natural growth
The UK has recorded its most significant annual population increase since 1971, according to latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
in the year leading up to June 2023, the population grew by one per cent, marking the largest annual rise since record-keeping began.
This growth, estimated at 68,265,200 residents, has been primarily driven by net international migration, which reached around 677,300 for the same period.
This influx has overshadowed a concerning trend; for the first time in nearly five decades, deaths outnumbered births outside the Covid-19 pandemic, with an estimated 16,300 more deaths than births reported.
Professor Sarah Harper, director of the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing, said the negative natural change is “not unexpected”.
She said: “Given the low childbearing rate currently in the UK, and the large post-war birth cohorts who have benefited from longer lives now entering old age, the number of deaths we expect will increase each year over time as this generation of older adults ages and dies.”
Watch: Boris Johnson squirms as he gives Brexit success mark out of 10
ICYMI: Labour poll lead over Tories slashed to one point
Labour’s polling lead has fallen to just one point after a rocky start to Sir Keir Starmer’s time in government.
The latest polling comes despite the prime minister attempting to draw a line under the disorder by accepting the resignation of his chief of staff Sue Gray.
The survey, conducted by More in Common for Politico, put Labour on 29 per cent and the Conservative Party on 28 per cent.
Our political correspondent Millie Cooke has the full story below:
Labour poll lead over Tories slashed to one point
Freebies row, Sue Gray downfall and Budget delay see Starmer ratings tumble
Poll: Cleverly rises in Tory leadership race after strong conference performance
James Cleverly has surged ahead of Robert Jenrick, according to a post-conference survey by Conservative Home.
The poll indicates that the former home secretary has gained traction in both first preferences among party members and in a potential final face-off.
Analysis revealed that Mr Cleverly was the standout candidate at the recent Birmingham conference, with over half of respondents expressing a greater likelihood of supporting him, while only 14 per cent reported the opposite.
In contrast, other contenders, including Mr Jenrick and Tom Tugendhat, saw a notable decline in support.
Kemi Badenoch managed to maintain a stable position, with about a third of Tory members remaining neutral regarding their support for her.
Despite losing media attention due to a controversy over her comments on maternity pay, she faced only minor repercussions.
‘Prisons on the brink’: Lord Timpson blames Tories for crisis
Lord James Timpson, minister of state for prisons has issued a stark warning about the state of the prison system.
He blamed the turmoil to the previous government’smismanagement. Speaking at the prison Governor’s association conference in Nottingham, Mr Timpson described the system as “teetering disaster” due to years of overcrowding and inadequate resources.
“It has not been easy to rehabilitate offenders in a system teetering on disaster,” he added.
He revealed that emergency measures had to be implemented to prevent a complete breakdown of law and order.
Highlighting recent public disorder as evidence of the system’s fragility, he claimed: “We came dangerously close to running out of prisons entirely.
“The last government allowed prisons to run so hot for so long, it was nothing short of a disgrace. We had no choice but to introduce emergency measures. To attempt to delay any further would have allowed our justice system to collapse.”
WATCH: Boris Johnson says his Downing Street apartment resembled a ‘crack den’
Boris Johnson says his Downing Street apartment resembled a ‘crack den’
Boris Johnson claimed the inside of his Downing Street apartment resembled a "crack den" before its refurbishment. The former prime minister defended his reported £200,000 refurb during an interview with LBC on Tuesday (8 October), insisting it “wasn’t as much as that”. Mr Johnson said: “Frankly, once I pulled the carpets out of the flat in number 11, which is where we lived, because Dylan was then in the stages of being — the whole thing was looking a bit like a crack den to be totally honest, and it needed to be refurbished.”
Tugendhat calls for party transformation as Tory MPs face critical choice
In a fervent appeal for support, Tom Tugendhat has urged Tory MPs to prioritise “change over continuity” as the race to succeed Rishi Sunak intensifies.
With four candidates remaining, including Kemi Badenoch, James Cleverly and Robert Jenrick, Mr Tugendhat cited the need for a leader who resonates with the broader electorate rather than just the party base.
Posting on X, he warned that clinging to “the same old battles” would yield the same disappointing outcomes.
Mr Tugendhat added: “We [must] choose somebody who can speak to the whole country, who can actually make our message heard and who doesn’t just make us feel good in the room but makes us heard in the country.”
Pictured: Cabinet ministers in Downing Street for meeting
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