Labour’s poll rating rises
Despite the difficulties of the past few months, Labour’s poll rating is on the up according to a new poll from Populus.
It puts Labour five points ahead of the Conservatives after soundings taken over the weekend.
This comes despite the fall out from the resignation of David Blunkett, criticism about Tony Blair’s decision not to cut short his holiday in Egypt and weekend newspaper stories reigniting the Blair-Brown saga.
The Times poll puts Labour on 38 per cent, one up from the previous poll, and five points ahead of the Conservatives who are on unchanged on 33 per cent. There is no movement either for the Liberal Democrats on 20 per cent, with the other parties down one to nine per cent.
Mr Blair’s personal rating is also up to 5.07, from 4.85 in November. Labour supporters handed Mr Blair a rating of 7.24, an improvement on his previous rating of 6.82.
Populus interviewed 1,506 over 18 by telephone from across the UK over the weekend.
A few days before, a separate ICM poll for The News of the World poll gave Labour a seven point lead, with the party on 38 per cent compared to the Conservatives’ 31 per cent.
The Liberal Democrats received 21 per cent of the vote.
