Prime Minister hits new a poll low as voters desert Labour for Tories

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Just three weeks before a crucial set of local elections, the Tories have extended their lead over Labour.

The Populus poll, published in the Times, puts David Cameron's party a six-point lead over Gordon Brown's - up from three points last month.

The Conservatives are on 39 per cent, with Labour on 33 per cent and the Liberal Democrats down two points on 17 per cent.

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Worse than Blair: Brown's popularity is decaying as voters turn their backs on Labour

Mr Cameron has now been leading Labour for all but three months of the past two years - although they are not doing as well as Mr Blair did in the last years of the Tory government in the mid 1990s.

The poll comes after a difficult week for the Prime Minister, with backbenchers rebelling over his decision to abolish the 10p band of income tax, which hits poorer people harder.

It finds that 31 per cent of people believe Mr Brown is a worse prime minister than Mr Blair, with only 14 per cent saying his he is better.

The remainder say he is just the same.

Mr Cameron remains the most well respected party leader, while Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg's ratings have risen - despite the embarrassment over his candid interview about his sex life last week.

But Gordon Brown's have fallen sharply, especially among Labour voters.

The survey says Mr Brown has presided over a sharp drop in confidence on the future of the economy.

Just 39 per cent believe the economy will improve next year - the lowest level in five years. Some 59 per cent believe the economy will get worse.

More than two thirds of voters believe Labour is "heading in the wrong direction", and only 3 per cent say Mr Brown has made a "real difference" to Britain.

More than a third say he has done worse than expected in the job.