Category Archives: United Kingdom

ANALYSIS OF THE POLLS ENDING 31st MAY TO 1st JUNE IN THE UK ELECTION

The overall projection (and seat totals) for the parties in the polls ending between May 29th and June 1st in the UK General Election were as follows :

CONSERVATIVES 43% 337 seats
LABOUR 38% 238 seats
LIBERAL DEMOCRATS 7% 2 seats
UNITED KINGDOM INDEPENDENCE PARTY 5%
SCOTTISH NATIONALIST PARTY 4% 50 seats
PLAID CYMRU 1% 5 seats
GREENS 2%

31st May to 1st June Britain

This poll now includes a Turnout Difference projection which relies on intention to vote data from Opinion Polls now and in 2015. Currently it seems that young (18-34) turnout will rise, while middle-age and older voter turnout will fall. The cumulative effect of these movements is a 1% drop in Conservative vote share against a 1% rise for Labour.

The Conservatives are up 5 points since 2015 and would gain just 7 seats. They would gain particularly amongst older voters (up 14% since 2015), working-class voters and voters in the North, Wales and Scotland. By contrast, their vote amongst younger voters has actually dropped significantly since 2015. Although they are still gaining strongly amongst working-class voters, Labour have now drawn level with them for the first time in the campaign. The Tories would win 131 of the 159 most middle-class constituencies, compared to just 9 of the 139 most working-class constituencies (down from 13 in 2015). They also win 182 of the 220 constituencies with the Oldest age profile (up from 176 in 2013), compared to 19 of the 122 constituencies with the youngest age profile. In fact in the 182 constituencies with the youngest age profile, they lose 5 seats compared to 2015, as against gaining 11 seats in the remaining (older) constituencies.

Labour have massively increased their younger vote (up 20% since 2015), but gains amongst middle-aged and particularly older voters have proved more modest. That said, Labour lead the Conservatives amongst middle-aged voters for the first time in the campaign. They started off the campaign behind The Tories practically everywhere but now lead them in London and the North and are tied with them in Wales – which is a big improvement on the near-complete wipeout there suggested by polls early in the campaign. They are more popular amongst women than with men. Labour would win just 25 of the 159 most middle-class constituencies, compared to 111 of the 139 most working-class constituencies. They win only 23 of the 220 constituencies with the oldest age profile (up from 22 in 2015), compared to 94 of the 122 constituencies with the youngest age profile (up from 87 in 2015). Labour have gained during the campaign particularly from Female voters – The Tories led them nearly 2 to 1 at the start of the campaign, but now Labour have now drawn level with them. Similarly they started the campaign nearly 20 points behind the Tories with working-class voters but are now tied with them.

The Socio-economic profile of Tory and Labour voters is actually quite similar – 37% of Tory voters are working-class, compared to 42% of Labour voters – but the gap does seem to be widening. The real difference is the age-profile – Over half of Tory supporters are over 55, comparely to just over a quarter of Labour supporters, while only one sixth of Tory voters are under 35, while these younger voters account for 40% of Labour voters,

The Liberal Democrats have fallen four points since the start of the campaign, and so are now below their 2015 figure. On this analysis, they would win only two seats, but this doesn’t take into account tactical voting which may yet salvage some seats that might otherwise fall. They fare markedly better amongst middle-class voters (nearly three-quarters of Liberal Democrat voters are middle-class), and the vast majority of Liberal Democrats are Remain voters, due partly to a small influx of Remain voters from other parties, but also because of an exodus of 2015 Liberal Democrat voters who voted LEAVE. There is a considerable flux in the Liberal Democrat voter base, with half of their 2015 voters leaving for either the Tories or Labour, being replaced by other voters coming from those parties. In fact their voter retention has fallen during the campaign – at the outset two-thirds of their previous voters were saying they would stick with the party. This could possibly be a positive sign inasmuch as that this churn it could represent the movements of voters intending to vote tactically.

UKIP entered the campaign with just over half their 2015 vote and now have less than a third of it. The majority of 2015 UKIP voters now say they are going to vote Conservative (though a small minority are now switching to Labour as well). They do best amongst working-class voters, and the vast majority of UKIPers are Leave voters.

The SNP would still retain a majority of the seats in Scotland, even though their vote is down significantly and the Conservatives look set to take several (mainly rural) seats.

The Conservatives been hitherto very successful in retaining their 2015 voters, with 9 out of 10 consistently saying they are sticking with them, but that is now down somewhat to about. In addition over half of 2015 UKIP voters and 1 in 5 2015 Liberal Democrat voters (and 1 in ten 2015 Labour voters) are now intending to vote for the Conservatives. Nearly one-third of 2015 Liberal Democrats are now planning to vote Labour, as indeed are a small but significant number of previous UKIP voters.

At the time of the Brexit Referendum The Tories were virtually tied with UKIP amongst Leave voters – they started this campaign 50 points ahead of them, and have maintained this lead reflecting polling showing that the bulk of 2015 UKIP voters are now intending to vote Conservative. By contrast, The Tories started the campaign again virtually tied with Labour amongst Remain Voters – but have now fallen significantly behind them amongst this cohort.

Download the Report : UK May 31 to June 1

ANALYSIS OF THE POLLS ENDING 26th TO 29th MAY IN THE UK ELECTION

The overall average (and seat totals) for the parties in the polls ending between May 26th and 29th in the UK General Election were as follows :

CONSERVATIVES 45% 360 seats
LABOUR 35% 218 seats
LIBERAL DEMOCRATS 8% 10 seats
UNITED KINGDOM INDEPENDENCE PARTY 5%
SCOTTISH NATIONALIST PARTY 4% 44 seats
PLAID CYMRU 1%
GREENS 2%

26th May to 29th May Britain

The Conservatives are up 7 points since 2015 and would gain 30 seats – however the first polls after the election was called suggested they would gain 125 seats. They would gain particularly amongst older voters (up 14% since 2015), working-class voters and voters in the North and Scotland. By contrast, their vote amongst younger voters has actually dropped slightly since 2015. They were gaining strongly amongst working-class voters, but it does seem that the traditional class cleavage is reasserting itself somewhat – that said the Tories are still 3 points ahead of Labour amongst working-class voters. The Tories would win 126 of the 159 most middle-class constituencies, compared to 24 of the 139 most working-class constituencies (up from 13 in 2015). They also win 194 of the 220 constituencies with the Oldest age profile (up from 176 in 2013), compared to 21 of the 122 constituencies with the youngest age profile. In fact in the 182 constituencies with the youngest age profile, they lose 32 seats compared to 2015, as against gaining 22 seats in the remaining (older) constituencies. Geographically, The Tories lose 6 seats collectively in London and the South and gain 35 seats in the North, Scotland, Wales and the Midlands.

Labour have held onto their younger vote – in fact they have significantly increased it (up 15% since 2015), but have remained largely static amongst middle-aged and older voters. They started off the campaign behind The Tories practically everywhere but now lead them in London and the North and indeed in Wales – which is a big improvement on the near-complete wipeout there suggested by previous polls.They are now significantly more popular amongst women than with men. Labour would win just 25 of the 159 most middle-class constituencies, compared to 108 of the 139 most working-class constituencies. They win only 14 of the 220 constituencies with the oldest age profile (down from 22 in 2015), compared to 92 of the 122 constituencies with the youngest age profile (up from 87 in 2015). Labour have gained during the campaign particularly from Female voters – The Tories led them nearly 2 to 1 at the start of the campaign, but now Labour are only a few points behind. Similarly they started the campaign nearly 20 points behind the Tories with working-class voters but are now virtually tied with them.

The Socio-economic profile of Tory and Labour voters is actually quite similar – 37% of Tory voters are working-class, compared to 43% of Labour voters – but the gap does seem to be widening. The real difference is the age-profile – Over half of Tory supporters are over 55, comparely to just over a quarter of Labour supporters, while only one sixth of Tory voters are under 35, while these younger voters account for 40% of Labour voters,

The Liberal Democrats have fallen three points since the start of the campaign, and so are back at their 2015 figure. Presently, they look like making two net gains, though the line between safety and disaster is thin. They fare markedly better amongst middle-class voters (nearly three-quarters of Liberal Democrat voters are middle-class), and the vast majority of Liberal Democrats are Remain voters, due partly to a small influx of Remain voters from other parties, but also because of an exodus of 2015 Liberal Democrat voters who voted LEAVE. There is a considerable flux in the Liberal Democrat voter base, with nearly half of their 2015 voters leaving for either the Tories or Labour, being replaced by other voters coming from those parties. This could possibly be a positive sign inasmuch as that this churn it could represent the movements of voters intending to vote tactically. 8 of the 10 Liberal Democrats would be in seats that are more middle-class than the National Average.

UKIP entered the campaign with just over half their 2015 vote and now have less than a third of it. The majority of 2015 UKIP voters now say they are going to vote Conservative (though a small minority are now switching to Labour as well). They do best amongst working-class voters, and the vast majority of UKIPers are Leave voters.

The SNP would still retain a majority of the seats in Scotland, even though their vote is down significantly and the Conservatives look set to take 11 (mainly rural) seats.

The Conservatives been hitherto very successful in retaining their 2015 voters, with 9 out of 10 consistently saying they are sticking with them, but that is now down to 6 out of every 7. In addition over half of 2015 UKIP voters and 1 in 6 2015 Liberal Democrat voters (and 1 in ten 2015 Labour voters) are now intending to vote for the Conservatives. Of Particular interest is that, despite the fact that the Conservatives are implementing Brexit, they are managing to hang on to more than 5 out of 6 of their 2015 voters who voted REMAIN in 2016 (source : ICM polls). This compares to the Liberal Democrats only retaining less than half of their Leave Voters.

At the time of the Brexit Referendum The Tories were virtually tied with UKIP amongst Leave voters – they started this campaign 50 points ahead of them, and have strengthened this lead reflecting polling showing that the bulk of 2015 UKIP voters are now intending to vote Conservative. By contrast, The Tories started the campaign again virtually tied with Labour amongst Remain Voters – but have now fallen significantly behind them amongst this cohort.

Download the report here : UK May 26 to May 29

ANALYSIS OF POLLS ENDING 21st TO 25th MAY IN THE UK ELECTION

The overall average (and seat totals) for the parties in the polls ending between May 16th and 20th in the UK General Election were as follows :

CONSERVATIVES 44% 344 seats
LABOUR 36% 225 seats
LIBERAL DEMOCRATS 8% 9 seats
UNITED KINGDOM INDEPENDENCE PARTY 4%
SCOTTISH NATIONALIST PARTY 4% 53 seats
PLAID CYMRU 1% 1 seat
GREENS 2%

21st May to 25th May Britain

The Conservatives are up 6 points since 2015 and would gain 14 seats – however the first polls afterthe election was called suggested they would gain 125 seats. They would gain particularly amongst older voters (up 15% since 2015), working-class voters and voters in Wales and Scotland. By contrast, their vote amongst younger voters has actually dropped slightly since 2015. Their support amongst Remainers has decreased by 5 points during the campaign – their support amongst Leavers is the same. The Tories would win 125 of the 159 most middle-class constituencies, compared to 16 of the 139 most working-class constituencies. They also win 189 of the 220 constituencies with the Oldest age profile, compared to 18 of the 122 constituencies with the youngest age profile. In fact in the 182 constituencies with the youngest age profile, they lose 9 seats compared to 2015, as against gaining 22 seats in the remaining (older) constituencies. Geographically, The Tories lose 10 seats collectively in London, the South and the Midlands and gain 23 seats in the North, Scotland and Midlands.

Labour have held onto their younger vote – in fact they have significantly increased it (up 15% since 2015), but have remained largely static amongst middle-aged and older voters. They started off the campaign behind The Tories practically everywhere but now lead them in London and the North and are tied with them in Wales – which is a big improvement on the near-complete wipeout there suggested by previous polls.They are now significantly more popular amongst women than with men. Labour would win just 25 of the 159 most middle-class constituencies, compared to 105 of the 139 most working-class constituencies. They win only 15 of the 220 constituencies with the oldest age profile, compared to 93 of the 122 constituencies with the youngest age profile. Labour have gained during the campaign particularly from Female voters – The Tories led them nearly 2 to 1 at the start of the campaign, but now Labour are only a few points behind.

The Socio-economic profile of Tory and Labour voters is actually quite similar – 39% of Tory voters are working-class, compared to 42% of Labour voters. This is possibly a reflection of the increasing support Labour is winning from Remain voters. The real difference is the age-profile. Over half of Tory supporters are over 55, comparely to just over a quarter of Labour supporters, while only one sixth of Tory voters are under 35, while these younger voters account for nearly 40% of Labour voters,

The Liberal Democrats have fallen three points since the start of the campaign, and so are back at their 2015 figure. Presently, they look like making one net gain, though the line between safety and disaster is thin. They fare markedly better amongst middle-class voters (nearly three-quarters of Liberal Democrat voters are middle-class), and the vast majority of Liberal Democrats are Remain voters, due partly to a small influx of Remain voters from other parties, but also because of an exodus of 2015 Liberal Democrat voters who voted LEAVE.

UKIP entered the campaign with just over half their 2015 vote and now have less than a third of it. The majority of 2015 UKIP voters now say they are going to vote Conservative. They do best amongst working-class voters, and the vast majority of UKIPers are Leave voters.

The SNP would still retain a huge majority of the seats in Scotland, even though their vote is down somewhat.

The Conservatives been very successful in retaining their 2015 voters, with 9 out of 10 saying there are sticking with them. In addition over half of 2015 UKIP voters and 1 in 6 2015 Liberal Democrat voters (and 1 in ten 2015 Labour voters) are now intending to vote for the Conservatives. Of Particular interest is that, despite the fact that the Conservatives are implementing Brexit, they are managing to hang on to more than 5 out of 6 of their 2015 voters who voted REMAIN in 2016 (source : ICM polls). This compares to Labour only currently retaining 2 out of 3 of their LEAVE voters, and the Liberal Democrats only retaining 1 out of 3 of their Leave Voters.

At the time of the Brexit Referendum The Tories were virtually tied with UKIP amongst Leave voters – they started this campaign 50 points ahead of them, and have strengthened this lead reflecting polling showing that the bulk of 2015 UKIP voters are now intending to vote Conservative. By contrast, The Tories started the campaign again virtually tied with Labour amongst Remain Voters – but have now fallen significantly behind them amongst this cohort.

You can download the report here : UK May 21 to May 25

ANALYSIS OF THE POLLS ENDING 16th TO 20th MAY IN THE UK GENERAL ELECTION

The overall average (and seat totals) for the parties in the polls ending between May 16th and 20th in the UK General Election were as follows :

CONSERVATIVES 46% 378 seats
LABOUR 34% 201 seats
LIBERAL DEMOCRATS 8% 3 seats
UNITED KINGDOM INDEPENDENCE PARTY 4%
SCOTTISH NATIONALIST PARTY 4% 49 seats
PLAID CYMRU 1% 1 seat
GREENS 2%

16th May to 20th May Britain

The Conservatives are up 8 points since 2015 and would gain 48 seats – however the first polls afte rthe election was called suggested they would gain 125 seats. The reason for this drop in projected gains is not so much the small drop in Tory support since then but rather the fact that Labour have closed the gap somewhat from 23 points to 12 points. They would gain particularly amongst older voters (up 17% since 2015 – although these polls were conducted before the Tory Manifesto was revealed), working-class voters and voters in Wales, Scotland and the North. By contrast, their vote amongst younger voters has actually dropped slightly since 2015. Their support amongst Remainers has decreased by 5 points during the campaign – their support amongst Leavers has increased slightly. The Tories would win 131 of the 159 most middle-class constituencies, compared to 28 of the 139 most working-class constituencies. They also win 196 of the 220 constituencies with the Oldest age profile, compared to 24 of the 122 constituencies with the youngest age profile.

Labour have held onto their younger vote – in fact they have significantly increased it (up 12% since 2015), but lose amongst older voters. They started off the campaign behind The Tories practically everywhere but now lead them in London and the North and are tied with them in Wales – which is a big improvement on the near-complete wipeout there suggested by previous polls.They are significantly more popular amongst women than with men. Labour would win just 25 of the 159 most middle-class constituencies, compared to 93 of the 139 most working-class constituencies. They win only 12 of the 220 constituencies with the oldest age profile, compared to 90 of the 122 constituencies with the youngest age profile.

The Liberal Democrats have fallen three points since the start of the campaign, and so are back at their 2015 figure. However, they are in danger of losing some of their 8 seats – though local particularities and tactical voting might mean the outcome won’t be as severe as this projection suggests. They fare markedly better amongst middle-class voters, and 5 out of every 6 Liberal Democrats are Remain voters, due partly to a small influx of Remain voters from other parties, but more because of an exodus of 2015 Liberal Democrat voters who voted LEAVE – it seems only 2 out of every 5 intend to stick with the LibDems, and a similar number intend to vote for the Tories.

UKIP entered the campaign with just over half their 2015 vote and now have as little as a third of it. The majority of 2015 UKIP voters now say they are going to vote Conservative. They do best amongst working-class voters, and the vast majority of UKIPers are Leave voters.

The SNP would still retain a huge majority of the seats in Scotland, even though their vote is down somewhat.

The Conservatives been very successful in retaining their 2015 voters, with 9 out of 10 saying there are sticking with them. In addition over half of 2015 UKIP voters and 1 in 6 2015 Liberal Democrat voters (and 1 in ten 2015 Labour voters) are now intending to vote for the Conservatives. Of Particular interest is that, despite the fact that the Conservatives are implementing Brexit, they are managing to hang on to more than 5 out of 6 of their 2015 voters who voted REMAIN in 2016 (source : ICM polls). This compares to Labour only currently retaining 2 out of 3 of their LEAVE voters, and the Liberal Democrats only retaining 1 out of 3 of their Leave Voters.

In fact the Liberal Democrat support base seems to be in considerable flux – under 60% of those currently intending to vote LibDem voted for the party in 2015 (one in 6 are former Tory voters, 1 in 5 are former Labour voters) – on the other side 2 out of every 5 of their 2015 voters are now voting for either the Conservatives or Labour (now splitting slightly in favour of the latter).

At the time of the Brexit Referendum The Tories were virtually tied with UKIP amongst Leave voters – they started this campaign 50 points ahead of them, and have now moved sixty points ahead reflecting polling showing that the bulk of 2015 UKIP voters are now intending to vote Conservative. By contrast, The Tories started the campaign again virtually tied with Labour amongst Remain Voters – but have now fallen 20 points behind them amongst this cohort.

Download The Report here : UK May 16 to May 20

ANALYSIS OF THE POLLS ENDING 10th MAY TO 15th MAY IN THE UK GENERAL ELECTION

The overall average (and seat totals) for the parties in the polls ending between May 10th and 15th in the UK General Election were as follows :

CONSERVATIVES 48% 395 seats
LABOUR 31% 177 seats
LIBERAL DEMOCRATS 9% 3 seats
UNITED KINGDOM INDEPENDENCE PARTY 4%
SCOTTISH NATIONALIST PARTY 4% 54 seats
PLAID CYMRU 1% 3 seatS
GREENS 2%

10th to 15th May Britain

The Conservatives are up 10 points since 2015 and would gain 65 seats – however in the first polls after the election was called they were on a similar figure but were gaining 125 seats. The difference this time is that Labour have closed the gap somewhat from 23 points to 17 points. They would gain particularly amongst older voters, working-class voters and voters outside London and the South. By contrast, the vote amongst younger voters has remained static. Their support amongst Remainers has decreased by 5 points during the campaign – their support amongst Leavers has increased by 4 points. The Tories would win 127 of the 159 most middle-class constituencies, compared to 38 of the 139 most working-class constituencies. They also win 194 of the 220 constituencies with the Oldest age profile, compared to 29 of the 122 constituencies with the youngest age profile.

Labour have held onto their younger vote – in fact they have significantly increased it, but lose amongst older voters. The Tories are still ahead of them in every region bar London (where they are now comfortably ahead of the Tories) – but a rise in their vote in Wales suggests they could take a third of the seats, which is an improvement on the near-complete wipeout suggested by previous polls. In the North, the Tories are narrowly ahead of Labour on votes, but Labour are projected to take narrowly more seats. Labour would win just 25 of the 159 most middle-class constituencies, compared to 83 of the 139 most working-class constituencies. They win only 10 of the 220 constituencies with the oldest age profile, compared to 83 of the 122 constituencies with the youngest age profile.

The Liberal Democrats have fallen two pints since the start of the campaign, but are still one point ahead of their 2015 figure. However, they are in danger of losing some of their 8 seats. They fare better amongst middle-class voters, and 5 out of every 6 Liberal Democrats are Remain voters, due partly to a small influx of Remain voters from other parties, but more because of an exodus of 2015 Liberal Democrat voters who voted LEAVE – it seems only 2 out of every 5 intend to stick with the LibDems, and a similar number intend to vote for the Tories.

UKIP entered the campaign with just over half their 2015 vote and now have as little as a third of it. The majority of 2015 UKIP voters now say they are going to vote Conservative. They do best amongst working-class voters, and the vast majority of UKIPers are Leave voters.

The SNP would still retain a huge majority of the seats in Scotland, even though their vote is down somewhat.

The Conservatives been very successful in retaining their 2015 voters, with 9 out of 10 saying there are sticking with them. In addition nearly half of 2015 UKIP voters and nearly a quarter of 2015 Liberal Democrat voters (and 1 in ten 2015 Labour voters) are now intending to vote for the Conservatives. Of Particular interest is that, despite the fact that the Conservatives are implementing Brexit, they are managing to hang on to more than 5 out of 6 of their 2015 voters who voted REMAIN in 2016 (source : ICM polls). This compares to Labour only currently retaining 2 out of 3 of their LEAVE voters, and the Liberal Democrats only retaining 1 out of 3 of their Leave Voters.

In fact the Liberal Democrat support base seems to be in considerable flux – only half of those currently intending to vote LibDem voted for the party in 2015 (one in 6 are former Tory voters, 1 in 4 are former Labour voters) – on the other side 2 out of every 5 of their 2015 voters are now voting for either the Conservatives or Labour (splitting slightly in favour of the former).

One of the more surprising findings in ICM polls is that the Conservatives are outpolling Labour by 46% to 35% in Labour marginal seats. However a similar analysis by YouGov (which returned a 9 point lead for the Tories in Labour marginals on National Voting intentions) found that when respondents were asked about their constituency voting intention, the Conservative lead was cut to 2 points.

According to PanelBase figures, nearly 4 out of 5 voters who gave a party preference said they have definitely made up their mind compared to 1 out of 5 who said they might change it. Only 1 out of 6 Tory voters said they might switch, compared to 2 out of 5 Liberal Democrats.

At the time of the Brexit Referendum The Tories were virtually tied with UKIP amongst Leave voters – they started this campaign 50 points ahead of them, and have now moved sixty points ahead reflecting polling showing that the bulk of 2015 UKIP voters are now intending to vote Conservative. By contrast, The Tories started the campaign again virtually tied with Labour amongst Remain Voters – but have now fallen 15 points behind them amongst this cohort (a similar margin to that at the the time of the Brexit vote).

Download the report : UK May 10 to May 15

ANALYSIS OF THE POLLS ENDING 3RD MAY TO 9TH MAY IN THE 2017 UK GENERAL ELECTION

The overall average (and seat totals) for the parties in the polls ending between May 3rd and 9th in the UK General Election were as follows :

CONSERVATIVES 48% 409 seats
LABOUR 29% 167 seats
LIBERAL DEMOCRATS 9% 6 seats
UNITED KINGDOM INDEPENDENCE PARTY 6%
SCOTTISH NATIONALIST PARTY 4% 49 seats
PLAID CYMRU 1% 1 seat
GREENS 2%

3rd to 9th May Britain

The Conservatives are up 10 points since 2015 and would gain 79 seats – however in the first polls after the election was called they were on a similar figure but were gaining 125 seats. The difference this time is that Labour have closed the gap somewhat from 23 points to 19 points. They would gain particularly amongst older voters, working-class voters and voters in Wales and Scotland (though their gains in terms of seats in the latter country would be modest). By contrast, the vote amongst younger voters has remained static.

Labour have held onto their younger vote – in fact they increase it, but lose amongst older voters. The Tories are ahead of them in every region bar the North – but a rise in their vote in Wales suggests they could take 15 of the 40 seats, which is an improvement on the near-complete wipeout suggested by previous polls.

The Liberal Democrats fare better amongst middle-class voters, and see a sizeable increase in London – but less elsewhere. 5 out of every 6 Liberal Democrats are Remain voters, due partly to a small influx of Remain voters from other parties, but more because of an exodus of 2015 Liberal Democrat voters who voted LEAVE – it seems only 2 out of every 5 intend to stick with the LibDems, and a similar number intend to vote for the Tories.

As many 2015 UKIP voters now say they are going to vote Conservative as say the will remain with UKIP. They do best amongst working-class voters. The vast majority of UKIPers are Leave voters.

The SNP would still retain a huge majority of the seats in Scotland, but the Tories would secure a significant foothold of 10 seats.

The Conservatives been very successful in retaining their 2015 voters, with 9 out of 10 saying there are sticking with them. In addition nearly half of 2015 UKIP voters and nearly a quarter of 2015 Liberal Democrat voters (and 1 in ten 2015 Labour voters) are now intending to vote for the Conservatives. Of Particular interest is that, despite the fact that the Conservatives are implementing Brexit, they are managing to hang on to more than 5 out of 6 of their 2015 voters who voted REMAIN in 2016 (source : ICM polls). This compares to Labour only currently retaining 2 out of 3 of their LEAVE voters, and the Liberal Democrats only retaining 1 out of 3 of their Leave Voters.

In fact the Liberal Democrat support base seems to be in considerable flux – only half of those currently intending to vote LibDem voted for the party in 2015 (one in 6 are former Tory voters, 1 in 4 are former Labour voters) – on the other side 2 out of every 5 of their 2015 voters are now voting for either the Conservatives or Labour (splitting 3:2 in favour of the former).

One of the more surprising findings in ICM polls is that the Conservatives are outpolling Labour by 46% to 35% in Labour marginal seats. However a similar analysis by YouGov (which returned a 9 point lead for the Tories in Labour marginals on National Voting intentions) found that when respondents were asked about their constituency voting intention, the Conservative lead was cut to 2 points.

You can read the report here :
UK May 3 to May 9

ANALYSIS OF POLLS ENDING 28TH APRIL TO 2ND MAY IN THE UK GENERAL ELECTION

The overall average (and seat totals) for the parties in the polls ending between April 22nd and 27th in the UK General Election were as follows :

CONSERVATIVES 46% 397 seats
LABOUR 30% 172 seats
LIBERAL DEMOCRATS 9% 8 seats
UNITED KINGDOM INDEPENDENCE PARTY 7%
SCOTTISH NATIONALIST PARTY 4% 55 seats
PLAID CYMRU 1%
GREENS 2%

28th Apr to 2nd May Britain

The Conservatives are up 8 points since 2015 and would gain 67 seats. They would gains particularly amongst older voters, working-class voters and those voters in Wales. By contrast, the vote amongst younger voters has remained static.

Labour have held onto their younger vote – in fact they increase it, but lose amongst older voters. The Tories are ahead of them in every region bar the North.

The Liberal Democrats fare better amongst middle-class voters, and see a sizeable increase in London – but less elsewhere. 5 out of every 6 Liberal Democrats are Remain voters.

As many 2015 UKIP voters now say they are going to vote Conservative as say the will remain with UKIP. They do best amongst working-class voters. 5 out of every 6 UKIPers are Leave voters.

The SNP hold fairly firm, losing just 1 seat.

You can read the report here : UK Apr 28 to May 2

ANALYSIS OF POLLS ENDING APRIL 22ND TO 27TH IN THE UK GENERAL ELECTION

The overall average (and seat totals) for the parties in the polls ending between April 22nd and 27th in the UK General Election were as follows :

CONSERVATIVES 45% 402 seats
LABOUR 29% 162 seats
LIBERAL DEMOCRATS 10% 12 seats
UNITED KINGDOM INDEPENDENCE PARTY 8%
SCOTTISH NATIONALIST PARTY 4% 54 seats
PLAID CYMRU 1% 1 seat
GREENS 3% 1 seat

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The Conservatives are up 7 points since 2015 (but down 3% since the first poll analysis), and would gain 84 seats. They would gains particularly amongst older voters, working-class voters and those voters in Wales. By contrast, the vote amongst younger voters has remained static.

Labour have held onto their younger vote – in fact they increase it, but lose amongst older voters. The Tories are ahead of them in every region bar the North.

The Liberal Democrats fare better amongst middle-class voters, and see a sizeable increase in London – but less elsewhere. 5 out of every 6 Liberal Democrats are Remain voters.

As many 2015 UKIP voters now say they are going to vote Conservative as say the will remain with UKIP. They do best amongst working-class voters. 5 out of every 6 UKIPers are Leave voters.

The SNP hold fairly firm – they lose 1 seat in Glasgow to the Liberal Democrats, and 2 in Southern Scotland to the Tories. They however gain 1 from Labour.

You can read the report here : UK Apr 22 to Apr 27

Analysis of the Polls Ending 18th-21st April in the UK Election

The overall average (and seat totals) for the parties in the first five polls conducted in the UK General Election were as follows :

CONSERVATIVES 48% 455 seats
LABOUR 25% 115 seats
LIBERAL DEMOCRATS 11% 11 seats
UNITED KINGDOM INDEPENDENCE PARTY 7%
SCOTTISH NATIONALIST PARTY 4% 51 seats
PLAID CYMRU 1%

The Conservatives are up 10 points since 2015, and would gain 125 seats. They would gains particularly amongst older voters, working-class voters and those voters in Wales. By contrast, the vote amongst younger voters has remained static.

Labour have held onto their younger vote, but lose amongst middle-aged and particularly older voters. Their vote has fallen badly in Wales, and has fallen further in Scotland. The Tories are ahead of them in every region – only in London and the North do they come close.

The Liberal Democrats fare better amongst middle-class voters, and see a sizeable increase in London – but less elsewhere.

As many 2015 UKIP voters now say they are going to vote Conservative as say the will remain with UKIP. They do best amongst working-class voters.

You can read the report here : UK Apr 18 to Apr 21 NEW

Brexit – The Age Breakdown

A lot has been written about a “Divided Britain” in the wake of the Brexit vote – about sharp schisms of opinion between the young and the old, the Middle-Class and the Working-Class, the Financially Stable and the Financially Precarious, the Highly-educated and the Poorly-educated etc. There is definitely truth inasmuch as the Polling data definitely points towards such.

Brexit Age 1

However, taking the differing turnout rates – in as much as we can estimate them – throws up a more nuanced picture. Continue reading Brexit – The Age Breakdown