Poll bad news for Labour and Conservatives
A new poll published today puts the Conservative Party just one percentage point behind Labour, but both parties have seen their support fall.
The Telegraph-YouGov poll puts Labour on 34 per cent support, down from 42 per cent at the 2001 general election.
The Conservatives are on 33 per cent, the same level of support they received in 2001. In spite of the impact of new leader Michael Howard, support has apparently declined compared to the peaks it achieved since the election.
The main beneficiaries of this position are the Liberal Democrats, who have risen from 19 per cent support in 2001 to 23 per cent today, according to the poll.
A host of smaller parties, such as the UK Independence Party and the Green Party have also benefited from the declining fortunes of the two main parties.
The poll also puts Tony Blair’s personal approval rating on 32 per cent, while Mr Howard’s popularity has suffered over the past three months. He has fallen from level-pegging with the Prime Minister to a situation where just 24 per cent of those polled believe that he would make the best Prime Minister.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph newspaper this morning, Anthony King, professor of politics at Essex University, warned, “YouGov’s findings also testify to a widespread public sense that there is not much to choose between the two major parties and that in the end it is not of overwhelming importance which party is in power.”
