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Labour closes in on Conservatives as Election Day nears

Thursday, 01 June 2017 7:46 AM [ Last Update: Thursday, 01 June 2017 7:56 AM ]

Britain's main opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn (C) reacts as he poses for a "selfie" photograph after addressing supporters during a general election campaign rally in Reading, west of London, on May 31, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

The UK Conservative Party’s lead over the opposition Labour Party has shrunk to 3 points with Election Day just days away, a new YouGov poll shows.

The poll, commissioned by The Times, found that the Conservatives led by Prime Minister Theresa May have support of 42 percent of likely British voters, while Labour has 39 percent support, which is now within the margin of error.

The poll, released on Thursday, also shows that the Liberal Democrats, who are struggling to maintain the momentum, slipped to just 7 percent vote share.

This is a remarkable change in fortunes for Labour, which was 24 points behind the ruling party when the snap general election was called in April by Prime Minister May.

All recent polls have shown that the opposition led by Jeremy Corbyn has made significant gains in recent weeks.

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May (R) listens to a question from a member of the audience during a question and answer session during a general election campaign rally at Cross Manufacturing in Bath, south-west England, on May 31, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

According to a poll released on Tuesday, May could lose overall majority in the June 8 election.

YouGov’s first constituency-by-constituency estimate of the election results predicts that the Conservative Party could lose 20 seats and Labour could gain almost 30 in the election.

That means Tories could ultimately win 310 seats at the election, falling short of an absolute majority of 326 seats needed to form a government.

Such a result on June 9 would be catastrophic for May, who called for the snap election back in April, arguing the UK needed certainty, stability and strong leadership in Brexit negotiations with the EU.

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On May 18, the Conservative Party launched its manifesto, "Forward, Together: Our plan for a stronger Britain and a prosperous future."

Under the manifesto, middle-class pensioners are set to lose benefits to fund social care. It also introduced plans to begin means-testing winter fuel payments and to charge more people who currently receive free care.

Corbyn has argued that May’s policy plans would create "war between generations."

"Society should not be setting the future of our young against security for the old. We have the wealth to offer a decent, secure life for all," he said.

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