Tories have tightened the gap with Labour since Rishi Sunak called the General Election and announced new policies with Keir Starmer's leadership aspirations down six points since March, poll shows

Labour's lead over the Tories has slipped to just 12 points, according to a shock new poll.

Sir Keir Starmer's party is on 40 per cent, while the Tories are on 28 per cent - up two points since the start of May.

Labour's lead has slipped from 18 points in April and 15 points in early May, according to the polling by J.L. Partners carried out on Friday and Saturday.

The pollster said the main reason behind the tightening of the polls was a shift among over-65s, with the Conservatives going from a 10-point lead over Labour to a 20-point lead in the age group.

Fewer Tory voters - 23 per cent - also now say they would consider voting for Nigel Farage's Reform UK - down 10 points since early May.

While the poll's findings will be welcomed by the Tories, who have long hoped that Sir Keir's lead would narrow once the election was called, they still point to a decisive Labour victory.

It also found that six in 10 voters - 60 per cent - think that it is time for a change of government, and Sir Keir has a 12-point advantage when voters are asked who would make the best PM.

The poll suggested the top emotion in the event of a Rishi Sunak win would be 'disappointed' - while only nine per cent said they would be 'happy'.

Labour and the Tories declined to comment on the findings, but a Labour source pointed to Sir Keir's previous warnings against 'complacency'.

The polling was carried out by JL Partners for the Rest is Politics podcast, over May 24 and 25 - after the election was called.

James Johnson, of JL Partners, said of their findings that it was 'only one poll, so let's see if the trend continues. 

He added that 'what is behind this tightening since April is the Tories going from a 8-point lead to a 20-point lead with over-65s, and said 'the pensioner squeeze is on.'

While the JL Partners poll will be a welcome glimmer of hope for the Tories, it comes as two opinion polls over the bank holiday weekend put Labour comfortably ahead.

Suggesting a more dismal outlook for Sunak, pollsters Survation and Redfield & Wilton Strategies both found that Labour is 23 points ahead overall. 

A survey by Deltapoll of 1,517 British adults online, carried out from May 23-25, put Labour on 45 per cent, the Conservatives on 23 per cent, Reform on 10 per cent, the Liberal Democrats on 9 per cent, and the Greens on 6 per cent, with the SNP on 3 per cent, Plaid Cymru on 1 per cent and other parties on 2 per cent.

The latest poll by Opinium, carried out on May 23 and 24 among 2,050 UK adults online, put Labour on 41 per cent, the Conservatives 27 per cent, Reform 10per cent, the Lib Dems 10 per cent and the Greens 7 per cent, with the SNP on 2 per cent, Plaid Cymru on 1 per cent and other parties on 1per cent.

A simple average of all polls carried out in the seven days to May 28 puts Labour on 45 per cent, 21 percentage points ahead of the Tories on 24 per cent, followed by Reform on 11 per cent, the Lib Dems on 9per cent and the Greens on 5per cent.

This is broadly unchanged on the averages for the previous seven days to May 21, where Labour was on 45 per cent, the Conservatives on 24 per cent, Reform on 11 per cent, the Lib Dems on 10per cent and the Greens on 6 per cent.

The averages are based on polls published by Deltapoll, Ipsos, More in Common, Opinium, Redfield Wilton, Savanta, Survation, TechneUK, WeThink and YouGov.