Esther McVey, employment minister, may be out of a job next week

Three senior Conservative MPs in marginal seats face being defeated by Labour next Thursday, a final batch of polls paid for by Lord Ashcroft suggests.

The survey of 10 marginals found that the Employment minister, Esther McVey, along with the former Treasury minister Chloe Smith, and Stewart Jackson, are all set to lose their seats.

The poll also found Tory voters in Scotland are switching to Labour in a bid to keep out the SNP. In Jim Murphy’s seat the SNP lead has been cut to three points in the past month as a result of diminished Tory support.

Overall, the survey found the Conservatives holding four of the marginal seats they are contesting of the eight surveyed, while the Lib Dems hold on North Cornwall.

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