European election poll: Tories slump to fifth as Farage’s Brexit Party continues to surge

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The Conservatives have plummeted to fifth place in the latest poll ahead of the European elections, 24 points behind the buoyant Brexit Party.

The survey ahead of next week’s contest has the Tories on just 10 per cent, securing less backing than Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party.

However, Nigel Farage’s newly-formed Brexit Party was in the lead, which despite only being launched weeks ago was on 34 per cent in the YouGov poll for The Times.

Tory MP Huw Merriman warned his party was in for "an absolute mauling" in the elections, as deadlock and recriminations over the government’s failure to yet lead Britain out the EU continue.

Mr Merriman, parliamentary aide to Chancellor Philip Hammond, told BBC Radio 4's Westminister Hour: “The public will blame the Conservative government because we were the party that brought forward the referendum.

“So for those that didn’t want it and wanted to remain, they will blame us for having tried to take us out and those who voted to leave, they will blame us for having not got the country out of the EU.

So we are at the perfect storm. Yes, I think we will get an absolute mauling.”

After the Conservatives took a battering in the local elections – losing more than 1,000 councillors – they have also seen defections of major donors and former MPs to Mr Farage’s upstart outfit.

Last week a major City financier who has donated millions to the Tories and Vote Leave in the past revealed he had given the Brexit Party £200,000.

Labour is currently in second place in the YouGov poll, although they trail by 18 points from the Brexit Party on just 16 per cent. Just behind them are the Liberal Democrats, who have seen a significant boost in backing since their strong showing at the local elections.

The Greens are at 11 per cent, ahead of the Tories on 10 per cent and Change UK on 5 per cent.

Mr Farage’s party is also surging in polls for a possible general election as well. A separate poll by ComRes for The Sunday Telegraph on Sunday found they would receive more votes than the Conservatives.

The Tories were one point behind the Brexit Party on just 19 per cent, a result which would be the worst in the party’s history.

This would give the hard Brexit grouping a projected 49 seats in the House of Commons, some way behind the Conservatives on 179 but still a stunning breakthrough for the embryonic party.

Partly as a result of the Brexit Party’s success, pressure has continued to grow on Ms May from her own backbenchers to announce when she will stand down as prime minister.