Angela Eagle’s leadership bid suffered a blow today as a poll showed more Labour supporters believe Jeremy Corbyn has what it takes to be a good Prime Minister than her.
But the Ipsos MORI survey also made grim reading for Mr Corbyn as two thirds of the public, including 54 per cent of Labour backers, say the party should change its leader before the 2020 General Election.
The findings suggest an opportunity for Pontypridd MP Owen Smith to gain momentum in his attempt to take over at Labour’s helm given Ms Eagle’s failure to break through so far and the bitter splits over Mr Corbyn’s future.
They included that just 29 per cent of Labour supporters think Ms Eagle has the necessary qualities to be PM, compared to 47 per cent for the Labour leader.
The difference is partly down to fewer people having an opinion yet about Ms Eagle, who quit as shadow business secretary last month, than Mr Corbyn - so she has far more “don’t knows”.
But Mr Corbyn has a net rating of +2, with 45 per cent saying they disagree that he has what is needed for No10.
While Merseyside MP Ms Eagle’s score is -8 as 37 per cent doubt she would be good in Downing Street.
These poll results for her are similar to what they were for Islington North MP Mr Corbyn in summer last year during the Labour leadership race, so if she manages to boost her profile she could possibly narrow the gap.
But both their current ratings among Labour supporters are below those of former Labour leader Ed Miliband in July 2014, when he had 51 per cent agreeing he had the skills to make a good premier, and 36 per cent disagreeing.
Among the wider public, Ms Eagle fared significantly better than Mr Corbyn.
Just over a fifth of adults believe both of them have what it takes to do a decent job in No10, with 23 per cent for him and 21 per cent for her.
But 68 per cent think he lacks the ability to succeed as PM, compared to 40 per cent for her, though again she has far more “don’t knows”.
Sixty-six per cent believe Labour should get a new leader for the next election, up from 42 per cent in October last year, though there were significantly more with a “neutral opinion” then.
Gideon Skinner, head of political research at Ipsos MORI, said: “Jeremy Corbyn faces an uphill battle to persuade the public he has what it takes to be a good PM.
“However, at this stage his challenger Angela Eagle also shows little sign of breaking through with the public.”
Meanwhile, Labour donor Michael Foster is going to the High Court in a bid to overturn the decision by the party’s National Executive Committee to guarantee Mr Corbyn a place on the leadership ballot.
“You cannot in Britain, a democracy that stands or falls by the application of law, bend the rules to suit a particular circumstance or a particular position,” he said.
Mr Smith, who resigned as work and pensions secretary, has called for a second referendum or a General Election when the terms of Brexit are clear, a position similar to Ms Eagle’s.
Ipsos MORI interviewed 1,021 adults in Britain between July 9 and 11.
