Tories handed setback in latest poll
Labour has reversed a ten-point swing against the Conservatives in March, cutting the Tories’ lead to five points in a new poll published today.
The Guardian/ICM poll sees the Conservatives slipping three points to 39 per cent, while Labour is up five points to 34 per cent.
This all but reverses the ten-point swing seen in March, bringing the two parties closer to their February positions when David Cameron’s party held a three-point advantage.
The poll took place over the weekend when prime minister Gordon Brown was returning from his trip to the US. Having seen his visit overshadowed by that of the Pope, Mr Brown returned to mounting criticism about his decision to abolish the 10p starting rate of income tax.
Despite these negative news stories his party has emerged with an improved showing in the polls which would not hand the Tories a strong enough result to form an outright majority in the Commons.
Instead the Guardian calculates both Labour and the Conservatives would win around 290 seats, resulting in a hung parliament.
The Liberal Democrats, who had remained steady at 21 per cent in February and March, slipped two points to 19 per cent. Other parties also increased their share of the vote, up one per cent to nine per cent.
Mr Brown’s next test of public opinion comes on May 1st, when 152 councils in England and all of Wales’ unitary authorities are to be contested.
