Labour has clear lead over Tories in more than 100 battleground seats, poll finds
The Guardian Labour has established a clear lead over the Tories in more than 100 battleground seats that will decide the next election, according to a new analysis seen by the Observer.
In a rare insight into marginal constituencies at next years election, Keir Starmers party has now secured a 10% swing from the Conservatives in a set of 144 seats in which the vote will be won and lost. Labour now holds a seven-point lead over the Tories in the seats, which include marginals in England, Wales and Scotland.
With both main parties increasingly refining their key policy offers ahead of a looming election, the research suggests Labour now sits on 39% of the vote in the marginal seats, up from 32% at the last election. Meanwhile, the Tories have slumped from 44% to 32%.
However, the polling suggests that Labours hopes of securing an overall majority remain on a knife edge. To achieve this, Labour needs to win an additional 124 parliamentary constituencies. The analysis suggests it is on course to win about 117 seats from the Conservatives in England & Wales and about six to eight from the SNP in Scotland. That would give that party 123-125 extra seats.
