Penny Mordaunt launches passionate defence of Rishi Sunak

       Rishi Sunak has suffered yet another major setback after the latest weekly tracker poll came out putting the Tories 20 points behind Labour again.

       It meant that what appeared to be a comeback last week for the Conservatives in the wake of the Rwanda Bill successfully going through the Commons has gone into reverse with the Tories dropping two points again.

       According to Techne UK's poll for Express.co.uk Labour are up one to 44 percent, Conservatives down one to 24 percent, Lib Dems are on 10 percent, Reform UK nine percent and Greens have gained a point to seven percent.

       If this were the result of an election, Electoral Calculus, the prediction website, suggests that the Conservatives would suffer their worst-ever result in the party's 346-year history with just 114 seats.

       Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer would be swept into Downing Street with a majority of 260.

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       READ MORE: Kemi Badenoch breaks ranks with Sunak on Brexit as leadership speculation mounts

       Sir Simon Clarke warned that without change the Tories are heading for a devastating defeat (Image: Getty)

       The poll of 1,641 Brirish voters also revealed that less than half (45 percent) of the Conservative voters from the 2019 election would now support the party at the next election.

       One in 10 will not vote, 13 percent have switched to Reform UK (formerly the Brexit Party), 12 percent have gone to Labour and another 13 percent are uncertain.

       The findings fuel fears that the Tories are heading for a catastrophic defeat.

       It comes after former cabinet minister Sir Simon Clarke called on Mr Sunak to quit as Prime Minister this week for the party to "avoid catastrophe."

       This was quickly followed by Mr Sunak's pollster Will Dry quitting Downing Street warning that the Tories were heading for "an almighty defeat" and they would be out of power for a decade.

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       Labour are heading for a record majority (Image: ELECTORAL CALCULUS)

       While, Sir Simon was criticised by leading Tory MPs such as Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, Dame Priti Patel, Sir David Davis and Sir Liam Fox, many privately share his assessment of the problems the party is facing.

       The poll revealed that Labour are ahead in every age and socio-economic category.

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       Techne UK chief executive Michela Morizzo said: "Our tracker poll this week comes at another turbulent and difficult time for Rishi Sunak and his Conservative Government.

       "The calls for the Prime Minister to resign from some fellow Conservative MPs and other resignations from within his own No 10 team continue to add pressure and negatively impact public opinion.

       "With continued division and dissent within the ruling Conservative party, it is very difficult to see how Sunak can recover public trust and deliver for the U.K. electorate."

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