Rishi Sunak gathers Tory MPs at luxury hotel to insist they can emulate England cricket team and pull off miracle election victory… as poll shows Labour 17 points ahead

Rishi Sunak has told Tory MPs they can emulate the England cricket team by puling off a miracle victory at the election.

The PM cited the surprise victory in the first test against India as he treated around 100 of his troops to dinner at a luxury hotel in Leicester Square.

CCHQ elections chief Isaac Levido is also said to have told the gathering, which included Cabinet ministers Jeremy Hunt, Grant Shapps, James Cleverly and Kemi Badenoch, that there are still 10million undecided voters.

The event was designed to soothe anxiety over Labour’s persistent double-digit advantage in the polls, with the country set to go to the ballot boxes by the end of the year.

According to Politico, Mr Sunak joked that the salmon and chicken menu represented his ‘first meal of the week’ – a reference to the revelation that he fasts for 36 hours. 

But many MPs seem to have shunned the do, especially as it took place on a Thursday night when they would normally be back in their constituencies. 

One unhappy former minister said told MailOnline that what they had heard from the dinner vindicated their decision to skip the invite. ‘I’m really pleased I didn’t go to that,’ they said.

A Survation poll issued today showed a 17-point lead for Labour, on 44 per cent to the Tories’ 27 per cent. The Lib Dems were on 11 per cent, Reform 7 per cent and the Greens 3 per cent. 

In a particularly worrying sign for the Tories, research released yesterday by Redfield & Wilton Strategies suggested Reform UK is picking up significant support in the Red Wall.

The party was on a new high of 14 per cent, with around a fifth of 2019 Conservative backers saying they were ready to switch to the insurgents – compared to 15 per cent shifting to Labour.

The findings will fuel concerns that Reform UK could ease Sir Keir Starmer’s path to victory by splitting the Right-wing vote when the country goes to the ballot boxes.

The poll, conducted on Tuesday and yesterday, gave Labour a commanding 20-point advantage in the Red Wall seats that delivered Boris Johnson’s historic Commons majority.

The Tories were on 28 per cent, the Greens 5 per cent and the Lib Dems 4 per cent.

A separate UK-wide Savanta poll published today underlined the scale of the task facing Mr Sunak, with Labour 19 points ahead.

Anything like that margin at the election, expected towards the end of the year, would be enough for a huge Labour victory. 

Many Tory MPs believe a striking move on tax is the only way of restoring the party’s fortunes. 

However, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has moved to cool hopes of big cuts in the March Budget.

The Chancellor insisted he is determined to ‘lighten’ the burden ahead of the crucial package in March.

But he risked inflaming Conservative unrest by warning that they are unlikely to be as significant as the reductions in national insurance from the Autumn Statement.