Boris Johnson’s handling of coronavirus crisis helps the Tories to an 8 point poll lead over Labour

Boris Johnson’s handling of the coronavirus crisis helps the Tories to an 8 point poll lead over Labour – their largest since last June

  • A Deltapoll survey for The Mail on Sunday puts the Conservatives on 44 per cent 
  • Labour behind on 36,as public supports Boris Johnson’s rollout of Covid vaccine
  • PM’s ratings also boosted by handling of ‘vaccine wars’ with the European Union 

 

Boris Johnson’s handling of the coronavirus crisis has helped the Tories to their largest poll lead over Labour since last June.

A Deltapoll survey for The Mail on Sunday puts the Conservatives on 44 per cent, with Labour lagging by eight per cent on 36, as public support rallies behind the vaccine rollout and ‘roadmap’ for easing lockdown rules. The poll found that 68 per cent support the plan, with just 20 per cent opposed.

The Prime Minister’s ratings have also been boosted by his handling of the ‘vaccine wars’ with the EU: just 24 per cent think European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was right to threaten to block vaccine exports, while 54 per cent believe she was wrong.

A Deltapoll survey for The Mail on Sunday puts the Conservatives on 44 per cent, with Labour lagging by eight per cent on 36

Just 24 per cent think European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (pictured) was right to threaten to block Covid vaccine exports, while 54 per cent believe she was wrong

Just 24 per cent think European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (pictured) was right to threaten to block Covid vaccine exports, while 54 per cent believe she was wrong

Nearly a third of respondents said the situation had made them more favourable towards Brexit, including more than a quarter (27 per cent) of those who voted Remain. And when the UK’s approach to the crisis is compared to that of France and Germany, Mr Johnson wins with ease: 45 per cent think the UK’s response has been better than that of French President Emmanuel Macron – only 16 per cent think it was worse – while 36 per cent say it was better than German Chancellor Angela Merkel (20 per cent say it’s been worse).

The 57 per cent of people who think that the Government is doing the right thing with Covid is the highest figure since May last year.

The vast majority of people – 85 per cent – say that they have closely followed the Covid rules over the last 12 months, with fewer than one in 20 saying they have not been following them at all.

A large majority, 72 per cent, support the new £5,000 fines for people who travel abroad without good reason, with 69 per cent, supporting a total ban on people travelling abroad before the rules are potentially lifted on May 17.

After a year of restrictions, two-thirds of people say that they ‘really need a holiday’.

lDeltapoll interviewed 1,610 adults online between March 25 and 27, 2021 and weighted the data to be representative of the adult population as a whole.