'We're not in Fergie Time yet': Michael Gove compares the Tories to the Scotland football team as he admits polls predicting around 100 MPs are 'not the cheeriest' but vows to play to the final whistle - and is 'confident' PM Sunak WILL keep his seat

Michael Gove contiguous tried to reconstruct Tory assurance aft canvass gloom predicting an predetermination hammering, by likening the enactment to the Scotland shot team.  

The Conservatives are staring down the tube of an predetermination nighttime drubbing that volition trim the enactment to a rump of small much than 100 seats.

A trio of mega-polls past nighttime predicted that the enactment is connected people for the worst show successful its 200-year history.

They suggest the July 4 effect could spot elder ministers including Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Defence Secretary Grant Shapps suffer their seats, perchance alongside Penny Mordaunt and Kemi Badenoch, some tipped arsenic imaginable successors to Rishi Sunak.

One poll, by Savanta, adjacent suggests Mr Sunak could suffer his Richmond and North Allerton seat, becoming the archetypal serving PM to beryllium dumped retired of the Commons by voters.

It comes arsenic helium prepares to look different nationalist grilling contiguous successful a BBC Question Time leaders' special.

Amid the turmoil Communities Secretary Mr Gove admitted the polls were 'not the cheeriest reading. But the Aberdonian told Sky New this morning: 'I'm a Scotland fan, truthful you hold until the last whistle. Sometimes it looks arsenic though the likelihood are against you, but you support connected fighting.

'There are sentiment polls, arsenic I've acknowledged and arsenic we some know, that are not great, but it's not the 90th minute, we're not successful ''Fergie time'' yet.

Later connected the campoaign way helium was asked by broadcasters whether helium thought his enactment could triumph the vote.

'Yes. I mean, it's a stretch, but yes,' helium replied.

'We are perfectly the underdogs. It's incredibly tough, we're up against it. But it is imaginable and you've got to judge that successful bid to guarantee that you bash the electorate a service.

'So, of people we've got to constituent retired what the consequences would beryllium if Labour were in, what the consequences would beryllium if Labour get a bulk arsenic immoderate of these polls - and polls are snapshots, not predictions - arsenic immoderate of these polls bespeak that they might. But you've got to combat it.'

Three MRP polls by YouGov, Savanta and More successful Common sparked uproar successful Westminster past night.

YouGov suggested that the Tories look being reduced to conscionable 108 seats, portion Savanta went further to suggest Labour could triumph much than 500 and permission the Tories with conscionable implicit 50.

One furniture curate told The Times: 'Colleagues are understandably acrophobic astir their country but immoderate of these projections are beyond people's wildest nightmares.'

Another said: 'The state has made a cardinal determination overall. Anything that is said astir taxation oregon thing other is ignored. 

'There is nary mode of sorting this. You don't springiness up locally. But determination is nary speedy hole to this.' 

The YouGov canvass besides recovered a slew of existent Cabinet ministers would beryllium ousted - including Jeremy Hunt, Grant Shapps, Penny Mordaunt, Mel Stride, Mark Harper, Richard Holden, and Alex Chalk.

Meanwhile, the Savanta canvass recovered Suella Braverman would beryllium forced out, alongside Mr Sunak. 

Mr Hunt contiguous said the Conservatives are not pretending that the enactment winning the General Election is 'the astir apt outcome' and said his ain governmental aboriginal is 'too adjacent to call'.

Speaking astatine the Times CEO Summit, Mr Hunt besides said helium believed determination had not been 'sustained economical scarring' from Liz Truss's mini-budget.

Despite having represented South West Surrey arsenic MP since 2005, the Chancellor is facing important unit from the Liberal Democrats successful the area's redrawn constituency of Godalming and Ash.

It comes arsenic immoderate who had their sights acceptable connected replacing Mr Sunak, should the Tories beryllium defeated, person present seemingly bowed retired of the race. 

James Cleverley is reportedly nary longer readying to basal successful the Tory enactment contention pursuing the anticipated predetermination defeat, with allies claiming the location caput lacked the tendency to win the existent PM. 

Cleverley has reportedly told friends helium does not privation to enactment himself guardant to regenerate Mr Sunak. 

Meanwhile, Ms Braverman has had cardinal allies foretell she mightiness not participate the contention owed to a deficiency of enactment aft she was fired arsenic location caput successful November past year. 

Allies person claimed if Ms Braverman did determine to run, it would beryllium motivated mostly by trying to unafraid a elder relation successful the shadiness cabinet. 

One fig adjacent to the erstwhile location caput told The Times she had 'fallen by the wayside' pursuing her regular nationalist interventions, that colleagues saw little successful the semipermanent interests of the enactment and much arsenic an enactment of self-service by Ms Braverman.   

Other contenders to regenerate Mr Sunak see Kemi Badenoch, the concern and commercialized secretary, erstwhile location caput Priti Patel and Tom Tugendhat, the information minister.  

Yesterday's Savanta canvass suggested the Conservatives would beryllium reduced to conscionable 53 seats and Mr Sunak himself would suffer his Richmond & Northallerton constituency.

Their survey projected an tremendous 382-seat bulk for Labour, with Sir Keir Starmer's enactment winning a staggering 516 constituencies connected July 4.

In a motion of the trouble successful making specified projections, Reform was not seen arsenic securing immoderate seats successful the Savanta MRP.

The 3rd MRP published past night, conducted by More In Common, recovered the Tories could extremity up with conscionable 155 seats aft July 4, with Sir Keir coasting into No10 with 406 Labour MPs.

The Lib Dems could look victorious successful 49 constituencies, according to the probe by More In Common for the News Agents podcast.

Their MRP besides recovered Reform would not get a azygous seat.

That is contempt a abstracted Survation canvass released this day suggesting Mr Farage volition grounds a stunning triumph successful Clacton.

Luke Tryl, enforcement manager of More successful Common UK, said: 'The information that this projection showing the Conservatives hardly holding 150 seats is 1 of the astir favourable to the Conservatives shows however heavy a spread the enactment finds itself successful - with hardly 2 weeks to spell for them to alteration the dial.

'Far from the narrowing successful the polls galore expected to spot by present the Conservatives presumption alternatively appears to beryllium getting worse and lone a tiny determination distant from them could spot them reduced to 107 seats.

'Labour connected the different manus look acceptable to inherit a historical bulk portion inactive remaining mostly undefined successful the eyes of the electorate.'

According to the MRP survey from YouGov, Labour are connected people for the seond-largest bulk since the Second World War.

It besides suggested the Tories are headed for a effect good beneath their erstwhile debased of 141 seats successful 1906 nether Arthur Balfour.

In Scotland, the YouGov probe showed Labour winning 28 seats, with the SNP falling to conscionable 20 seats and the Tories dropping to 5 constituencies.

It besides recovered the Conservatives could beryllium reduced to conscionable 1 spot successful Wales, wherever Labour were shown to beryllium connected people to triumph 26 retired of 32 seats.

Sir Keir's enactment is poised instrumentality a grounds fig of seats successful London, with Labour acceptable to triumph 63 retired of 75 constituencies successful the capital, according to the study.

Earlier, Mr Sunak seized connected ostentation yet falling backmost to the Bank of England's people arsenic helium tries to revive his predetermination fortunes.

However, ministers person been progressively unfastened astir their fears astir the party's prospects, with some Mel Stride and Welsh Secretary David TC Davies conceding yesterday that Labour is astir definite to triumph.

Panicking Tories person been urging Mr Sunak to onslaught Mr Farage head-on, alternatively than trying to disregard the existential menace Reform poses.

The Brexit champion has admitted helium cannot triumph this election, but insisted helium wants to supplant the Tories arsenic the existent absorption - and is aiming to beryllium PM by 2029.  

The latest authoritative figures showed header CPI dropping to 2 per cent successful May, from 2.3 per cent successful April, paving the mode for involvement complaint cuts.

It marks the archetypal clip ostentation has been astatine the BoE's extremity since July 2021, earlier the cost-of-living situation saw ostentation sprout up – astatine 1 signifier hitting levels not seen for 40 years.

Mr Sunak seized connected the information to assertion that ostentation is 'back to normal' and Brits volition 'start to consciousness the benefits'. But helium warned that putting Labour successful powerfulness could enactment 'progress astatine risk'.

The reductions volition springiness Threadneedle Street intermission for thought arsenic it considers involvement rates astatine the MPC gathering tomorrow. 

However, astir economists judge rates volition beryllium held astatine 5.25, with the July 4 election regarded arsenic hampering decisions.