Voters regard Theresa May as a better leader for Britain than Jeremy Corbyn, according to a new poll.
The findings, published yesterday, also gave the Conservatives a 13-point lead over Labour.
Of the sample interviewed, 39% indicated they would vote Tory, compared to 26% for Mr Corbyn’s party.
Some 44% of respondents said they considered Mrs May a better leader for Britain than the Labour leader (16%), with support for her strongest among women over 55.
More than half of those questioned (54%) said they thought Mrs May was performing well as leader of the Conservatives.
In contrast, 51% said Mr Corbyn was not performing in his job as leader of Labour.
More damningly, 45% of those who voted for Labour at the last general election said he was performing badly.
And only a quarter (24%) of those interviewed thought Labour could survive its current divisions, while a third (33%) believed the party would split.
The TNS BMRB survey also asked respondents about the Brexit negotiations.
Almost half (47%) were confident in the ability of the UK Government to negotiate these deals, while 40% were not.
Confidence was twice as high among those who voted Leave (72%) compared to those who were in the Remain camp (35%).
Luke Taylor, head of social and political attitudes at TNS BMRB, said Mrs May would be pleased with her personal poll ratings.
But he added: “The poll does hint at the challenge facing the prime minister in maintaining this level of support.
“Time will tell if these poll ratings are a honeymoon effect for a new prime minister or a lead in the polls that can be sustained through to the next general election.”
There had been speculation – given the Tories’ increasing lead in the polls and Labour’s ongoing turmoil, coupled with Mrs May’s small majority in the Commons – that she would call an early election but she has ruled this out.
A sample of 1,199 adults in Great Britain was interviewed between August 5 and 8.