Mixed opinion poll news for Brown

12 April 2012

There is mixed opinion poll news for Labour as one showed a significant cut in the Tory lead but another found 60% of party members expect Gordon Brown to lead the party to defeat.

As the Prime Minister answered delegates' questions at the party conference in Manchester, a YouGov survey for the Sunday Times revealed serious concerns among the grassroots.

But among all voters, the governing party showed a two-point revival and saw the Conservative advantage slashed by nine points to 12, mainly thanks to a dramatic Liberal Democrat surge.

The survey for ComRes for The Independent on Sunday suggested Nick Clegg's bold move to position the Lib Dems as the only party offering overall tax cuts at his conference last week had been a hit with the electorate as it leaped five points to 21%, with Labour on 27% and the Tories 39%.

According to the Sunday Times' survey of 1,200 Labour members, a majority (53%) view the PM as "indecisive and dithering" and just a third (34%) believe he has an exciting vision for the future.

As many as four in ten favour an immediate leadership contest, although more are opposed (52%). Among potential successors, David Miliband is clear favourite - backed by almost a quarter, ahead of Health Secretary Alan Johnson and Justice Secretary Jack Straw on 13%.

There is massive support for radical policies such as a windfall tax on the big energy companies (73%) and a 50p income tax rate on incomes above £100,000 (78%).

Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly is favourite to be axed in any reshuffle, five points ahead of Chancellor Alistair Darling, with Margaret Beckett favoured for a return to the Cabinet. And fewer ordinary voters now believe Mr Miliband would be any better than Mr Brown at running the country, with just 30% backing him as an alternative compared with 41% in June.

The Independent poll also showed most voters (57%) believed the economic crisis meant this was a bad time for a leadership election.

Another YouGov poll, for the Daily Telegraph, showed Labour dropping further behind David Cameron's Tories to trail by 20 points.

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