A UNIVERSITY professor has said today’s EU election will be Theresa May’s “last gasp” as voters shape the UK’s future.

Senior lecturer in politics Dr Andrew Smith said the vote will “set the direction of UK politics” as the Brexit Party surges ahead in the polls.

Dr Smith said the election could decide whether Parliament decides on a no-deal Brexit or holds a second referendum.

Current trends show Nigel Farage’s group could win almost 40 per cent of the vote, while the pro-EU Lib Dems could sneak ahead of Labour into second place.

Dr Smith, of the University of Chichester, predicts the polls “represent an accurate picture” of the election’s results, which will be announced on Sunday.

He said: “The Brexit Party is presenting itself as an anti-EU, anti-establishment party. It’s taking a lot of votes from the Conservatives, especially.

“One of the key things Nigel Farage has done is to revive the idea of a no-deal Brexit as a mainstream political issue.

“In the 2014 EU elections Nigel Farage practically controlled the direction of the Tory party. It looks the same way this year.”

As leading Conservatives jostle to replace Mrs May once she resigns, Dr Smith said success for the Brexit Party could shift the Tories’ direction dramatically.

He said: “The party’s no-deal supporters, like Boris Johnson, will try to swallow up that pro-Brexit vote.

“This election represents the last gasp of May’s premiership.

“If a General Election comes soon, the Tories could be cut down. It won’t be as bad as the EU result, but they could lose a lot of seats.”

Polls suggest the Conservatives may win less than ten per cent of the vote today and could even be taken over by the Green Party.

But it is the Lib Dems who could carry momentum into a general election, according to Dr Smith.

He said: “The Lib Dems have benefited from a clarity of message that Labour and the Tories have not. They’re seen as more credible and stable than Change UK and they have a more steady representation than the Greens.

“We know their leader Vince Cable is likely to stand down. They could see some significant gains in the future.”

But Dr Smith added it is unlikely the Brexit Party could gain more than one or two seats in a possible general election.

He said: “They’re far less likely to get a sizeable number of seats.”