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Rishi Sunak's early departure from this month's D-Day commemorations is the worst gaffe of the general election campaign so far, according to a new poll.

A More In Common survey showed more than 80 per cent of voters were aware of the fierce row over the PM's skipping of a major international event in Normandy.

More than 70 per cent thought the incident reflected badly on the Conservative Party, the research found.

UK's Labour has 17-point lead over Conservatives in first poll since vote date set

Britain's opposition Labour Party has a 17-percentage point lead over Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party in the first opinion poll conducted since he unexpectedly set a July 4 date for national elections on Wednesday.

The poll was conducted by More in Common, a member of the British Polling Council, which sets professional standards for polls conducted in the United Kingdom.

To Luke Tryl, UK director of More In Common, undecided voters who backed the Tories in 2019 will be key to minimising Tory damages. “We know from focus groups that these voters are the most receptive to the ‘we’ve turned a corner’ message,” he says.

These undecided voters are 70 per cent female, tend to live in small towns, are homeowners and typically in their early 60s. “They live in places like Whitby, and Scarborough & Whitby is one of the seats that could get Labour the majority, if you assume they make gains in Scotland.”

Analysis for The Telegraph by the polling group More in Common found that if Reform secures 9pc of the vote the Conservatives will win 35 fewer seats as a result.

But if it won 14pc, a level at which it has consistently polled in recent months, then the impact would be even starker, costing the Tories 64 MPs.