Labour closing gap on Tories following A-level chaos as new poll shows lead cut to just 2%

Many people have lost confidence in the Conservative party after the past week of A-level results chaos, a new poll has suggested.

The YouGov survey found that public support for the Conservatives dropped from 44 per cent to 40 per cent in just a week.

The Tories' slide happened as backing for Labour rose from 35 per cent to 38 per cent over the same period, the poll claimed.

The Green Party and Liberal Democrats are both polling at six per cent, up from five per cent. The Brexit Party is at four per cent, compared with three per cent last week.

It comes as Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer nosed ahead again on the question of who would make the best Prime Minister.

Current PM Boris Johnson had pulled level last week, but 35 per cent of respondents this week said that Sir Keir is best-placed to lead the country, compared to 31 per cent for Mr Johnson.

Some 31 per cent of people could not decide between the two.

The 35 per cent figure is the highest personal rating yet for Sir Keir, YouGov said, and is outside the margin of error - meaning he is clearly ahead, according to the poll.

In mid-May, Mr Johnson's personal rating stood at 46 per cent, but declined rapidly until early June, when it levelled off. Since then it has continued to decline but more slowly.

Public support for Sir Keir as Prime Minister stood at just 22 per cent in mid-April but converged with Mr Johnson's level of support in June. More people said he would be the best Prime Minister for the first time in early August.

The Government and Mr Johnson have faced months of tough headlines throughout the coronavirus outbreak, with figures suggesting the UK has had most deaths from coronavirus in Europe and suffered one of the worst economic shocks among developed nations.

A-levels became the latest headache for ministers last week, when thousands of students found results downgraded by exams regulator Ofqual, after assessments were cancelled because of coronavirus.

After days of protests and public outrage, the Government announced a U-turn that saw all downgraded students' marks revert to their teachers' predictions.