Female voters turn against Blair
Female voters are turning away from Tony Blair and the Labour party, a new survey claims.
A poll by ICM for the News of the World found that fewer than one in ten (nine per cent) of women quizzed said the Prime Minister should fulfil his pledge to serve a full third term in office if he is re-elected.
Female voters are particularly important in determining elections, as they tend to switch more between parties.
In spite of Labour’s new family-friendly policies, a quarter of women said Mr Blair should leave before the general election, expected on May 5, while almost one in three (29 per cent) wanted him to quit immediately.
Chancellor Gordon Brown is proving more popular with 40 per cent of women polled, compared to 32 per cent for the Prime Minister, saying Mr Brown would be a better choice for premier.
However, Mr Blair is the most popular party leader, ahead of the Liberal Democrats’ Charles Kennedy and Tory leader Michael Howard, who was pushed into third place.
Mr Blair was popular with female voters during the 1997 general election, but 44 per cent now think he is arrogant and 54 per cent claim he is out of touch and unable to understand ordinary people.
Issues such as the Iraq War have turned women off, while many also feel they are worse off under Labour.
ICM interviewed 542 women aged 18 and over on March 9 and 10.
