Conservatives, we are assured by Owen Jones, are terrified of Jeremy Corbyn. I can reveal that Conservative Party members are in fact so scared of him that they have granted him an extended lead in our poll of their preferred next leader of the Labour Party – presumably to try to appease him in the hope of being pardoned in the inevitable purges when he sweeps to power.
Last month Corbyn first seized the top position in our poll, securing 42 per cent to Liz Kendall’s 37 per cent. This month his lead has grown, like flames in a picketer’s brazier – now the Islington North MP enjoys the support of 47 per cent of Conservative Party members (up five points), while Kendall is down one to 36 per cent.
Yvette Cooper and Andy Burnham evidently inspire rather less terror in our hearts: Burnham is down five points to seven per cent, and Cooper holds steady on nine per cent.
> Over 700 party members responded to the survey.