Top Conservatives have been left in panic mode after new poll has put the Tories on just 53 seats.

The polling from Savanta for The Telegraph consulted around 18,000 people between June 7 and June 18 put Labour on 516 seats and an estimated House of Commons majority of 382, with the Tories behind on just 53 seats.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats would be within touching distance of becoming the main opposition party at 50 seats. The poll was also bad news for Nigel Farage as it put Reform UK on zero seats as well as the Green Party who would also not win a single seat.

A separate poll for More In Common predicted a Labour majority of 162, with the Conservatives winning 155 seats, one fewer than their record low in 1906. Elsewhere, an exclusive poll for GB News from People Polling put Reform UK on 24 per cent, nine points above the Conservatives and just 11 points behind Labour.

One cabinet minister told The Times: "None of us can believe the polls because it is not what we are seeing on the ground. But we can’t explain them either. Colleagues are understandably concerned about their area but some of these projections are beyond people’s wildest nightmares."

Another added: "The country has made a fundamental decision overall. Anything that is said about tax or anything else is ignored...there is no way of sorting this. You don’t give up locally. But there is no quick fix to this. I hope I can stick to the Nytol [an over-the-counter sleep aid] and not reach for the Valium."

Elsewhere, outgoing Communities Secretary Michael Gove, who is not standing for re-election, has claimed that Labour not matching their housing commitments will amount to a "first-time buyer tax" for those trying to get on the property ladder.

Labour hit back by saying: "This reeks of desperation from the Tories." The party added that it intends to "get Britain building" and help working families onto the housing ladder.

In Scotland, both the Scottish Conservatives and Scottish Green Party are set to launch their manifestos today, with the latter saying they plan to send "shockwaves" through politics by securing a record Scottish Green vote at the General Election.

Labour has pledged to “bring down the cost of school" by "limiting the number of branded items of uniform and PE kit that schools can require."

Chairman of the Schoolwear Association Matthew Easter has hit back against the plans, saying they create a number of "unforeseen consequences."

He said: "We strongly feel that it will result in costing parents more rather than less because of pressure from their children to buy branded items, which are a lot more expensive and don’t last as long as school uniform items.

"What happens is the kids then pressure their parents to go and buy Nike or Adidas or another fashion sports brand and the cost goes up massively, and then you create inequality in school where some kids have Nike and some kids don’t. There’s the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’."

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A second Conservative candidate is being investigated over an alleged bet on the date of the general election, it emerged last night.

Laura Saunders, who is standing in Bristol North West, was reported by the BBC to the subject of an inquiry by the Gambling Commission.

A Conservative spokesman said: "We have been contacted by the Gambling Commission about a small number of individuals. As the Gambling Commission is an independent body, it wouldn’t be proper to comment further, until any process is concluded."

The date and value of the alleged bet have not been disclosed.

Former communities Secretary Michael Gove

The Cabinet minister told Sky News: "There are opinion polls, as I’ve acknowledged and as we both know, that are not great, but it’s not the 90th minute, we’re not in ‘Fergie time’ yet.

"There is still an opportunity for us to make these arguments and as we make these arguments my experience, and I know it’s just me and a range of seats, not every seat in the country, my experience is that when you do talk to voters, outline some of the tax dangers, outline some of Labour’s plans for the future, then people do think twice.

"People do recognise that by voting Conservatives you are both ensuring that there is a strong Conservative voice in Parliament, but also you are doing everything you can to prevent a series of tax increases that won’t just hit pensioners and first-time buyers, but also will hit the economy in the guts."

The Chancellor told the BBC: "It’s very important, if Labour win, that they have an effective opposition in parliament."

Hunt told voters considering backing Reform: "You will have fewer centre-right MPs and fewer MPs who want to control migration, fewer MPs who want to reduce tax, and that isn’t what those voters want."