Tonight:
5°c
Labour popularity in polls plummets
10 May 2009- No movement in independence talks
- Woman in court over stabbed girl
- No assurances offered over Qatada
- Banks 'must change or be broken up'
- Rangers staff 'not cut immediately'
- Extradition date for retired Briton
- Student loan penalty plan 'ditched'
- Implant clinics 'referring to NHS'
- Nestle spends £500m on UK growth
- Pay call over Whitehall tax issue
Labour's popularity has slumped to its lowest level since polling began amid a series of scandals and renewed speculation over Gordon Brown's leadership.
Research for the Mail on Sunday found the party's support had dropped three points over the past month to just 23% - even lower than when Michael Foot was at the helm in the 1980s.
The fall gives the Tories a massive 22% advantage, enough for a landslide victory if repeated at a general election.
The dire position was reinforced by a separate YouGov poll for the Sunday Times, which suggested Labour's support had tumbled 7% to 27% - 16 points behind the Conservatives.
The news is likely to heighten anxiety among Labour MPs over whether Mr Brown is the right man to lead them. Last month's Budget highlighted the deteriorating state of the UK's finances, and moves such as the introduction of a new 50% top tax rate sparked anger.
Mr Brown's personal judgment was called into question when one of his closest aides, Damian McBride, was forced to quit after planning false smears against senior Tories.
The premier's YouTube video outlining MP expenses reforms was widely mocked, and he was forced to stage a double climbdown over scrapping the second homes allowance in the same week as he suffered a humiliating Commons defeat on Gurkhas' residency rights.
The last few days have been dominated by revelations over parliamentary expenses claims by Mr Brown and his ministers - although the polls were only carried out as details of that started to emerge.
According to the Mail on Sunday, Labour's 23% rating is the lowest since opinion polling techniques were first used in the UK in 1943. Under Mr Foot's leadership the party's support only sank to 23.5%.
More than half those polled (52%) believe the PM should stand down, and 72% think he is doing a "fairly bad" or "very bad" job. The Sunday Times research found that 61% of people were convinced that Mr Brown had "completely lost authority".
Reader views (3)
We don't want a new Labour leader, we wan't a general election and we want it now!. We urgently need a fresh start, Parliament should be dissolved quickly now.
- Mark Burton, St Ives. Cambs, 10/05/2009 14:53
Report abuse
This whole expenses issue makes me think that politicians are to be trusted with our money. What a bunch of thieves. The next Government should institute a system run by a body independent of parliament and set up an investigation into the payments made in the years of Labour and charge any MP with the total of their claims which fall outside what is reasonable. A law should be passed to enforce these changes.
- William, London, 10/05/2009 12:03
Report abuse
More than half those polled (52%) believe the PM should stand down, and 72% think he is doing a "fairly bad" or "very bad" job. The Sunday Times research found that 61% of people were convinced that Mr Brown had "completely lost authority".
Now would be about the time that someone came out with the old favourite "I'm only worried about the important poll, the election" - then decline to put the question to the vote for as long as they can.
- Rogan, Irving, 10/05/2009 04:55
Report abuse
