The United Kingdom’s Labour Party is polling at its lowest level since World War II. The party, led by left-winger Jeremy Corbyn, has dipped to eight points behind the ruling Conservative Party just eight months after the general election, an unprecedented fall.
The election of a new leader has failed to provide the bounce in the polls that a fresh face usually provides. Labour has often enjoyed a poll increase following a general election defeat and the replacement of a leader, but Corbyn’s leadership has bucked that trend.
Labour has also failed to poll ahead of the Conservative government in any public poll since the general election in May last year, an unprecedented situation. The Labour Party has not suffered a poll slump this bad since the 1940s, when formal opinion polling began.
Labour is polling on average at 35 percent to the Conservatives 40 percent but some analysts believe even that number may overestimate the party’s support. The poll comes at the same time as analysis of the general election opinion polls revealed that the methodology was flawed, leading to an entirely wrong prediction partially favouring Labour.
Jeremy Corbyn is considered on the hard left of British politics and his leadership has been fraught with difficulty. Several members of the Shadow Cabinet (the MPs who act as opposition spokespeople on policy issues) have resigned in recent weeks.
Corbyn disagrees with many of his party colleagues on a variety of issues, particularly the Trident nuclear missile programme. Corbyn has long opposed Britain’s retention of nuclear weapons, a position many feel prevented Labour from winning power in the 1980s.
