Independent inquiry launched into ‘inaccurate’ election polling

An investigation has been launched into pre-election polls that underestimated the Tory tally of seats won.

The British Polling Council said the final opinion polls before the vote “were clearly not as accurate as we would like“.

“The fact that all the pollsters underestimated the Conservative lead over Labour suggests that the methods that were used should be subject to careful, independent investigation,” it added.

The body will look into “the possible causes of this apparent bias, and to make recommendations for future polling”.