Voters back Cameron over Brown in latest poll
Voters would back David Cameron over Gordon Brown, according to the latest opinion poll, raising suggestions that the chancellor is losing the battle of personality politics.
The Conservatives under Mr Cameron could poll enough support to win a working majority at the next general election, the ICM poll, commissioned by the Guardian, suggested.
It is the 11th consecutive month that the Tories have beaten Labour in an ICM/Guardian poll. Worryingly for Labour, today’s poll canvassed opinions on both the parties and their leadership and it is in the latter contest that Labour struggles most.
Asked who they would back between Mr Brown, Mr Cameron and Sir Menzies Campbell, 42 per cent of respondents plumped for the Conservative leader and Sir Menzies obtained 17 per cent. In echoes of Michael Foot’s leadership, a Brown-led Labour party received 29 per cent of the vote.
When asked purely which party they would vote for, 40 per cent supported the Conservatives, Labour rose to 31 per cent and the Liberal Democrats increased their share of the vote to 19 per cent. The results appear to suggest that support falls for Labour when voters associate the party with Mr Brown.
It is difficult to translate poll results into parliamentary seats, but informal calculators UK Polling Report and Electoral Calculus told the Guardian that fighting the next election under Mr Brown could see Labour lose to a Tory majority of more than 50.
The latest ICM poll was conducted last weekend after media reports claiming Mr Cameron had smoked cannabis at Eton and details of his Oxford lifestyle, seen by many as elitist, emerged.
A Populus survey for the Times last week found that 81 per cent of voters do not think drug use by a politician at school or university matters.
