Labour strategists have reportedly planned a dramatic change of strategy as the general election campaign enters its last two weeks. The Institute for Fiscal Studies’ Carl Emmerson tweeted: “Labour have doubled down on their 2017 manifesto, promising £80bn more current spending per year (up from £50bn last time around) and £55bn more capital spending per year (up from £25bn).” But Shadow International Trade Secretary Barry Gardiner said the change in tactic was “news to him” during an interview on BBC’s Today Programme.

He said: “This is news to me this morning.”

BBC radio host Simon Jack asked: “So you know nothing about this change in tactic?”

Mr Gardiner replied: “I have not had any discussions on that.

“Obviously what we want to do is make sure that we keep on as we had been doing in the past few weeks, narrowing that margin in the polls.”

The BBC presenter began: “You haven’t narrowed it though on the poll that’s out this morning, and people are.“

The Labour MP for Brent North interjected: “I’m sorry if you listened to what I said, I said that in the last few weeks on the polls that have come out the margins have narrowed. In fact your own trail before that said this, up to seven percent I think it was ComRes poll.”

A seat-by-seat poll from YouGov indicated Boris Johnson’s Tories are on course to end up with 359 seats after the general election, securing a hefty majority of 68, with Labour slumping to 211, losing 68 seats in the process.

If the poll result is accurate, it would be Labour’s second-worst since World War 2, only eclipsed by the 1983 disaster which saw them pick up 209, with Margaret Thatcher’s Tories winning 397.

The BBC, citing insiders, suggested Labour was poised to “reshape” its election strategy, having “overestimated” the threat posed by the Liberal Democrats, and “underestimated” the willingness of Leave-backing Labour voters to switch the Conservatives.

The party is understood to be changing tack in its campaign, particularly in Leave-voting areas, where it is in danger of losing seats to the Conservatives.

Labour insiders say a key mistake up until now was overestimating the electoral threat from the Liberal Democrats, and underestimating the likelihood of Leave voters switching from Labour to the Conservatives, the BBC has reported.

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Labour’s strategy so far had been – in part – to emphasise that the election is about more than Brexit and to get voters to focus on issues which would unite Labour voters in Leave and Remain areas.

The new plan is designed to appeal to those who voted for Brexit, and to try to convince them that Labour is not attempting to stop Brexit by offering another referendum.

Quizzed by the BBC’s Naga Munchetty about the poll, Labour’s Shadow International Trade secretary Barry Gardiner admitted his party had “work to do”, adding: “I want to be ahead in the polls, I want our message to be getting through.

“You can be absolutely sure that for every day every hour from now until Dec 12 Labour candidates will be out there getting our message across. We need to get this message across.”

Professor Tony Travers, of LSE London, said: “Clearly Labour fears losing ‘leave’ voters in the Midlands and the North.

“The polls appear almost stuck. This move suggests the party fears losing unless it strengthens its pro-Brexit credentials.”

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