Labour has dropped almost 10% in the latest Newshub-Reid Research poll but retains a significant lead over National. Photo: ODT files

Labour no longer could govern alone according to the latest Newshub-Reid Research poll, plunging 9.7% to 43%.

National is up 1.7% to 28.7%.

Meanwhile Act has jumped 4.2% to 11.1%.

The Green Party has also absorbed some of Labour's dip increasing 1.4% to 8.5% and New Zealand First too has gained 1.5% to 3.4%.

Ardern is still the preferred prime minister at 45.5%, down 2.6%. National leader Judith Collins has jumped by the same margin up to 8.2%, but sits behind Act leader David Seymour on 8.6% after he received a 3% bump.

When asked who they preferred, voters chose Seymour over Collins by a significant margin - 41.7% to 25.9%, with 32.4% reporting they did not know.

The poll comes after a turbid few months for the National Party, with the high profile retirement of veteran MP Nick Smith citing an employment issue, and former leader Todd Muller's forced retirement.

The Labour-led Government has also come under increasing scrutiny over the Covid-19 response, in particular the vaccination rollout and immigration and managed isolation and quarantine issues.

Results from the last Newshub poll showed Labour at 52.7% (up 2.7 percentage points from election night), and National at 27% (up 1.4 percentage points).

In the preferred PM stakes, Jacinda Ardern polled at 48.1% (down 4.5 percentage points); Judith Collins was at 5.6% (down 12.8 percentage points).

Former PM John Key was higher than Collins on 6.7%, while backbench MP Christopher Luxon was on 2.4%.