Tory lead steady in January poll
By politics.co.uk staff
The Conservatives are holding steady on 40% for the fourth Guardian/ICM poll in a row, as Labour continues to struggle to reduce its deficit below ten points.
January’s poll gives the Tories an 11-point lead over Labour, on 29%, while the Liberal Democrats increase to 21% as the general election approaches.
Observers say the governing party’s inability to make progress in denting the opposition’s advantage means a small Conservative majority appears likely in the next parliament.
The failed ‘snow plot’ against Gordon Brown, together with the PM’s decision to U-turn on appearing before the Iraq inquiry, may be responsible for the slide since December, when Labour had reduced the Tory lead to eight or nine points.
Half of respondents said the prime minister’s leadership had made the recession worse, while 43 per cent disagreed.
Meanwhile the other parties have seen their support shrink from 15% to ten per cent. The Scottish and Welsh nationalists together held four per cent, with the Green party on two per cent and the British National party on one per cent.
