Poll shows public perverse on cuts
The coalition’s management of the economy has received a ringing endorsement from the public, a poll has suggested – but less than a third think next week’s spending cuts will be fair.
David Cameron and George Osborne were trusted by 45% of respondents in a poll by ComRes for the Independent on Sunday and the Sunday Mirror to steer the economy through the current downturn.
That compared to just 23% for the opposition’s new team of Labour leader Ed Miliband and shadow chancellor Alan Johnson.
Despite the positive news for the coalition, the poll also revealed deep concerns about Wednesday’s comprehensive spending review.
Forty-three per cent said the public spending cuts to come would be unfair, while just 30% expected them to be fair.
And 47% disagreed with the statement that the loss of hundreds of thousands of public sector jobs is a price worth paying to reduce the deficit.
The poll highlights the political risks associated with pushing through the deepest and most significant period of austerity in Britain in decades.
For now, though, the senior party in the coalition remains strong in the polls.
Overall the Conservatives were up a point to 40%, while Labour slipped two points to 34%.
The Liberal Democrats slipped a point to 14%, nine per cent lower than their share of the vote in May’s general election.
