Boris Johnson is now the Comeback Kid as a poll today shows the PM opening up a 10 point lead over Labour.
An exclusive Survation survey for the Sunday Mirror puts the Tories on 43 per cent to Labour’s 33 with the Lib Dems trailing on nine per cent.
That will give Labour and its leader Keir Starmer serious worries as a super Thursday of local elections looms in May - effectively a national poll because of delays from last year.
And if these results were repeated at a General Election the Tories would be returned with a 66 overall majority and 150 more MPs than Labour.
Survation’s Carl Shoben said: “After perceived failures over PPE and test & trace the Government appears to be receiving a bounce related to the success of the vaccine rollout.
“Labour has bet the house on challenging the Government’s competency on Covid.
“The vaccine programme has left that strategy looking tired. Labour needs to focus on showing its different vision for the country.“
Sir Keir sought to exploit fury over the PM’s paltry one per cent pay offer to NHS staff tor the launch of his local election campaign last week.
But Tory strategist Claire Pearsall said: “Kicking off a local campaign on a national issue is a mistake.
“At local level people care about the three Ps - parking, planning and potholes.”
Only 31 per cent of voters now think Sir Keir would make the best PM compared to Boris Johnson ’s 45 per cent while the PM’s favourability rating has gone up two points and the Labour leader down one.
Four in ten voters approve of the Government’s performance, a rise of three points, but 42 per cent still give it the thumbs down.
On May 6 there are 24 county councils up for grabs, 34 metropolitan boroughs, 38 unitary authorities, 57 district councils and 40 police commissioners because of postponed elections.
On top of that London’s Sadiq Khan, Manchester’s Andy Burnham, Liverpool’s Steve Rotherham, West Midlands Andy Street and Bristol’s Marvin Rees are up for re-election in mayor ballots cancelled in March 2020.
ANALYSIS by Nigel Nelson
Decency oozes out of Keir Starmer’s every pore. He’s also great company.
And there is no doubt he would be a safer pair of hands than the butter-fingered Boris Johnson.
But he is also naturally cautious at a time when the nation cries out for a bold and radical vision of a post-Covid future.
And Labour MPs privately complain that Starmer is yet to reveal the magic touch needed in a successful political leader - the ability to inspire.
Tony Blair had it and won three General Elections.
Jeremy Corbyn lost two but still drew adoring crowds wherever he went.
Starmer’s job now is not just to talk about how he would make the lives of British people better.
But to show them exactly how he would do it.
FIGURES
CON 43% (+1)
LAB 33% (-1)
LD 9% (+2)
GRN 5% (-1)
SNP 5% (-)
RUK 1% (-)
OTH 4% (-2)
BEST PM
Boris Johnson 45% (+2)
Keir Starmer 31% (-1)
- Survation polled 1,037 adults between March 9-10
