Conservatives take 16-point lead over Labour in latest ICM poll

Opposition stands on 27 per cent of the potential vote

Jeremy Corbyn’s party has gained 1 per cent of the potential vote since mid-October, while Tories retain large lead (PA)

The Labour Party shows little sign of improving its public image with the latest poll showing it is floundering 16 percentage points behind the Conservatives.

Jeremy Corbyn’s party currently stands on 27 per cent according to the recent Guardian/ICM poll, up one point from mid-October, while the Conservatives are unchanged on 43 per cent.

The latest results, collected between Friday and Sunday last week, appear to demonstrate that Theresa May’s indications that the UK will embark on a so-called hard Brexit have not swayed public opinion.

Ukip’s share of the potential vote increased by one point and now stands at 12 per cent, potentially signalling that the group's leadership turmoil is not dissuading voters.

The Liberal Democrats were unchanged on 8 per cent and the Green Party were down from 6 to 5 per cent.

For the poll ICM interviewed 2,040 adults online and weighted the data according to demographics of the UK population.

The largest lead the Tories have had was in June 2008, when Gordon Brown was at his most unpopular. Yet Labour have had larger leads than that during during Tony Blair’s leadership.