Huge EIGHT per cent swing from Ukip to the Conservatives is set to hand May 35 Labour seats in the General Election
Political expert claims there could be as much as an 8 per cent swing from Ukip to the Conservatives if the polls come true
A HUGE shift by UKIP supporters is poised to giftwrap THIRTY-FIVE Labour seats for Theresa May on Thursday, the Sun can reveal.
New analysis reveals the switch by as many as two million Ukip voters will see the Tories pick up seats across the UK – from llford North to Birmingham Edgbaston and Lord Mandelson’s old seat in Hartlepool.
Politics professor Matthew Goodwin said there could be as much as an 8 per cent swing from Ukip to the Conservatives if the polls come true.
The Sun yesterday revealed 48 per cent – or 1.9 million - of the Brits who backed the anti-EU party in 2015 will back Theresa May this time round.
Mr Goodwin said the switch by the ‘Kippers should be more than enough to see the Tories pick up seats such as the City of Chester where Labour already has a wafer thin majority.
But it could also hand the Tories victory in constituencies such as Bishop Auckland, where Helen Goodman holds a 3,508 majority but 7,015 people voted Ukip two years ago.
Big name casualties could include former Labour Shadow Minister Mary Creagh in Wakefield.
Mr Goodwin said: “Make no mistake - contrary to what some claim a clear plurality of 2015 Ukip voters are breaking for Theresa May and the Conservative Party.
“In the aftermath of the vote for Brexit and Jeremy Corbyn’s election as the leader of the Labour Party these former Ukip voters have clearly decided to give the Labour Party a bloody nose in more northern and industrial areas.
“If at least half of them break for the Conservative Party then Labour could have a massive problem on its hands.”
In 35 of the seats highlighted by the Sun today – Ukip isn’t even standing in 20 of them. And yesterday Ukip’s own leader Paul Nuttall urged the party’s supporters to back the Tories to deliver Brexit and stop Jeremy Corbyn in what he called a “unique Election”.
He said: “If there is a Ukip candidate you go out and vote Ukip.
“But this is a unique election, it’s a one off, it won’t be happening in the future and that is why a number of our branches have stood down for one time only.
“If there isn’t a Ukip candidate in the seat then you go out and vote for the Brexit candidate.
“We need to ensure we get as many Brexit MPs in the House of Commons in the next Parliament.”
Of the need to block the Labour leader, he said: “In these dangerous times, it would be reckless to have someone who has opposed every single piece of anti-terror legislation, who has gone out his way to befriend terrorist organisations in Northern Ireland and the Middle East.
“Someone who has opposed shoot to kill, when confronted with armed terrorist.
“I want to make it clear if there is a Ukip candidate go out and vote Ukip."
“However I have no hesitation in saying that out of more than 200 seats Ukip have stood aside in this election, there are only a handful where were I would recommend a Labour vote.”
“Kate Hoey and Frank Field, Kelvin Hopkins come to mind.
“In the vast majority of other seats, Labour candidates cannot be trusted on Brexit and cannot be trusted on National Security either.”
“The same is true of the LibDems everywhere.”
The call came amid growing confidence in Conservative ranks that Theresa May will secure a majority of around 60 seats tomorrow.
An Opinium poll on Tuesday put the Tories on 43 per cent – a seven point lead from Labour who were down one point to 36 per cent.
One Tory source said the party may even win in Bolsover, the Derbyshire seat held by Labour veteran Dennis Skinner.
One Cabinet Minister told The Sun: “The anger over social care has receded, people are still grumbling about it but not saying they won’t vote for us.
“It’s a constant trickle of straight switchers Labour to Tory, so it is hard not to see that as a very positive sign that we are going to be back in some significant comfort.”
Ex-PM David Cameron was spotted out on the campaign trail giving the Tory’s Westminster North candidate a final push.
The seat, currently held by Labour’s Karen Buck, is predicted to fall to the Conservative’s Lindsey Hall.
Separately it was claimed the bad weather could clobber Jeremy Corbyn’s chances in another blow for Labour.
A survey found that Labour supporters are more likely than Conservatives to be put off voting by “persistent” rain forecast for polling day.
The storms are expected to sweep the country from the South-West to the North-East, the Met Office said.
Dan Healy, head of research at FTI Consulting, said: “The polls suggest that Labour is closing the gap but the reality is that their voters are less motivated.
“They are younger voters and more likely to be distracted on the day from actually getting out and voting – it’s quite an apathetic group.
“Tory voters appear to be much more resolute and determined to vote.”
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But John Curtice, polling expert at the National Centre for Social Research, said rain was unlikely to affect the Election result.
He said: “Unless it’s a hurricane or a major snowstorm, people will come out to vote.
Theresa May joked about the downpour when she met voters in Fleetwood, Lancashire. She said that when she called the snap election she had hoped there would be “sunshine all the time”.