Tories' lead over Labour is cut
The Conservatives’ lead over Labour has been dramatically cut as Gordon Brown continues to win plaudits for his handling of the economic crisis, according to an opinion poll.
The Populus poll for 'The Times' puts Labour just six points behind the Conservatives – compared with a 15 point Tory advantage just a month ago.
Labour is now on 35%, up five points since October, while the Tories are down four points on 41%. The Liberal Democrats are up one point at 16%.
At the same time Mr Brown’s personal rating has leapt to its highest level since he became Prime Minister in July 2007, overtaking Tory leader David Cameron.
On a scale of 0 to 10, Mr Brown’s rating has risen from 4.38 to 5.04, the biggest monthly increase on record, while Mr Cameron’s score has slipped from 5.24 to 4.94, his lowest since July last year.
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg saw his rating fall from 4.20 to 4.08, the lowest recorded by any of the party’s three leaders over the last five years.
Populus interviewed 1,503 adults by telephone between November 7 and 9.
