Conservatives go ahead in the polls for first time since June after Brexit deal

The Conservative Party has gone ahead in the polls for the first time since June following the announcement of a Brexit deal with the EU last week.

According to a YouGov poll for The Times newspaper, prime minister Theresa May has done her party the world of good by getting through the first phase of talks with the European Union.

The YouGov poll, conducted on Sunday and Monday among 1,680 adults, suggested the Brexit deal appears to have improved Mrs May’s public standing and pushed the Tories ahead on 42% with Labour at 41% of the vote.

The Liberal Democrats were at 7% and the rest on 10%, The Times said.

However, the public still doesn’t think the government is doing a good job on Brexit, the poll said.

But Mrs May emerged as the preferred choice for ‘best prime minister’, with 37% of the votes, compared to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s 28%.

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The poll revealed that Britons did not shift their view on the EU referendum, with 44% saying that Britain was right to vote to leave, while 45% said it was the wrong choice.

Meanwhile, ministers are gearing up for a new Commons battle over Brexit after pro-European Tories signalled they would try to ensure MPs are given a ‘truly meaningful vote’ on any final deal with the EU.

The EU (Withdrawal) Bill – which transposes EU law onto the UK statute book – returns to the Commons on Tuesday amid warnings the government could be heading for its first defeat on the legislation.

About 20 Conservative backbenchers are reported to have signalled their support for an amendment tabled by former attorney general Dominic Grieve requiring a final deal to be approved by a separate act of parliament.

Ahead of the crunch vote on Wednesday, the government staged a significant climbdown, promising to accept changes to the Bill which will give MPs greater oversight over ministers’ powers.

However, ministers are expected to argue Mr Grieve’s amendment is unnecessary as they are already committed to tabling a separate Bill to implement the main elements of any deal – including the agreements on the financial settlement and future citizens’ rights signed by Theresa May in Brussels on Friday.

There are fears in Whitehall if the amendment goes through they will be unable to get on with the thousands of minor alterations needed to the statute book until the new Bill has been passed, leaving them with insufficient time to ensure there are no gaps in the legal framework.