Labour lead over Conservatives may be overstated, says Tory election expert

Exclusive: Robert Hayward, who identified shy Tories' in 1992, suggests the party is winning support from undecided voters

Some of the polls before the general election may be overstating Labour's huge lead over the Conservatives, a Tory election expert has said.

According to Robert Hayward, a peer and former MP who first identified the phenomenon of shy Tories" before the 1992 election, his analysis of local election results suggests that the Conservatives are getting more support from voters who say they are undecided than is showing up in the polls.