Rishi Sunak will need to pull off the biggest political comeback in more than 70 years if he is to win the next election, analysis suggests.
With the Tories trailing Labour by about 20 points, a study of polling records going back to 1951 reveals that no government has successfully closed such a large gap this close to a general election.
It suggests that the best Sunak can hope for on the basis of historical trends would be a swing of about 14 per cent, which would not be enough to keep the prime minister in Downing Street.
Sir John Curtice, professor of politics at Strathclyde University and a polling expert, said that until now the Conservatives had been able to take comfort from the
