The latest UMR poll has some dire news for National and Simon Bridges. The exact scenario that Chris Trotter and I discussed in last weeks podcast is now playing out in real life:
The National Party has dropped below 30 per cent in a UMR poll while Labour has reached as high as 55 per cent.
And when it comes to preferred Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern has reached a near record-breaking 65 per cent approval rating.
Her popularity eclipses that of her National Party rival, Opposition leader Simon Bridges, who is on a mere 7 per cent.
It is understood the poll was conducted by Labour’s polling company UMR for its corporate clients, who paid UMR for a monthly snapshot of the political scene.
The results have been confirmed to the Herald by a number of different sources.
The poll was taken between the 21st and the 27th of April – while the country was in the level 4 lockdown.At 55 per cent, Labour would be able to form a government by itself.
But speaking to the Herald, Bridges rubbished the poll.
“UMR are Labour’s pollsters and are consistently, badly wrong.”
He added that Labour “should be focused on getting New Zealand back to work, not leaking dodgy numbers.”
If Simon Bridges is so certain that the numbers are dodgy then perhaps he might prove that by showing us National’s internal polls.
This isn’t rumours, it is fact.
What is Bridges waiting for? He should release his own polling and prove that UMR is dodgy.
Full analysis on how damaging these numbers are will be published tomorrow.