Theresa May set for 75 seat majority at General Election, says ‘Shy Tory’ polling expert
THERESA MAY will in the Election with a majority of 75 – the polling expert who first coined the ‘Shy Tory’ phenomenon has claimed.
Robert Hayward said the Conservatives wouldn’t bag a landslide victory over Jeremy Corbyn after seeing Labour cut their lead.
But he said the Tories would gain a “net” 30 seats given the PM a far bigger majority in the Commons than the 17 before the snap election was called.
Mr Hayward – who spotted the “Shy Tory” in the 1992 Election – said the Conservatives were winning Ukip voters but also Labour voters who couldn’t stand Jeremy Corbyn.
He said: “I doubt 30 seats was what Theresa May would have hoped for but we’re still talking about a large majority.
“Labour were always going to close the gap and I do think some voters who would have backed the Greens and Lib Dems are moving a bit towards Jeremy Corbyn.
“But I think it’s too much to believe Labour is going to achieve a vote share of around 37 per cent.
“That would be up around a fifth or a quarter on Ed Miliband in 2015.”
Asked to predict how many seats she may win, Theresa May insisted she never predicted Election results.
And she repeated: “The poll that matters is the one that happens on June 8.”