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Gordon Brown's campaign to win re-election on a platform of higher spending during the recession is failing, a poll suggested today.
Voters are instead backing by a margin of more than two to one David Cameron's call for an axe to fall on public spending.
The finding is a huge blow to the Prime Minister's core pre-election campaign to set up a Labour investment versus Tory cuts dividing line.
Some 64 per cent of voters think the Government should reduce spending, against only 28 per cent who want to see it increase, according to an ICM poll in today's Guardian. It is the second survey to claim support for cuts ahead of spending as voters take fright at the ballooning scale of state debt, heading past the £1trillion mark.
The divide between the leaders has dominated recent exchanges in the Commons, where Mr Cameron is widely seen to have scored the most points.
More worrying for Mr Brown, there have been signs that senior Cabinet ministers are uncomfortable with his attempt to define the election campaign around promises to spend. The Chancellor, Alistair Darling, has issued a contrasting message saying it is important to "try to level with people" about the strain on the public finances.
Today's poll found Tory voters were the enthusiastic cutters, with 73 per cent backing reductions. More surprisingly, a majority of Labour voters (55 per cent) and Liberal Democrats (57 per cent) preferred cuts to higher spending. Only 38 per cent of Labour supporters wanted to see spending continue to rise.
Alarmingly for Labour, voters in the DE social categories prefer cuts to spending by 63 to 28. They include unskilled workers, who traditionally back Labour, many pensioners and welfare claimants who are dependent on state spending.
Moreover, the poll suggests that the two thirds who want cuts trust the Conservatives more to carry them out than Labour. Almost half thought Labour would not cut deeply enough but 42 per cent said the Conservatives would get the total about right.
The poll put the Conservatives on course to win the general election expected next spring, enjoying a 14-point lead with 41 per cent of the vote to Labour's 27 per cent. The Lib-Dems were up slightly to 20 per cent.
Reader views (10)
Did the pollsters ask the responders what services should be cut? How about garbage collection once a month? Or perhaps they should cut the number of nurses and other medical personnel, and close down hospitals. You could outsource the patient services to other lower-cost jurisdictions. That already happens here in Alberta, where pregnant women are being sent to other provinces, or even down to the US, to give birth, because they have cut-back on neo-natal services -- and that's in a province which had, until last year, an annual $6 billion, that's right -- $6 billion -- budget surplus. Heaven knows what public services would like in the UK if Cameron and his barmy army got their hands on the public purse. Of course, the Tories might start cutting nearer to their own hearts, and reduce the salaries and expenses of MPs, and those of the numerous NGOs. But since the members of these organisations are very often appointees of the goverment in power, that would be as likely as snow in July.
- Steven Pyne, Calgary, Canada, 14/07/2009 17:59
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The PM wants to continue or even increase public spending because it is his only option politically. What he neglects tp discuss are the tax increases which will be required, nay demanded by the IMF. Looks like the Harold Wilson/Denis Healey scenario all over again.
- Colin Macpherson, Gramat France, 14/07/2009 16:55
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Hopefully starting with MPs,then moving on to the various council bosses who no doubt have huge expense accounts looking at my council tax which has increased three times the so called inflation figures.Then we can half the size of goverment considering the tiny country we are.While we at it,may be an idea to get MPs to work more than 7 months of the year,or start paying them pro-rata.
- Dave, london, 14/07/2009 16:35
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F Frinton says that children, pensioners and the unemployed are being cheated, whilst I appreciate that pensioners would have to pay a 20% VAT rate, children do not to my knowledge have disposable income and the unemployed don't buy luxury items to which VAT applies so I fail to see where this logic applies. Frankly he just comes across sounding like another foaming at the mouth liberal looney. What I find utterly hilarious about his statement is that the self employed, such as builders, plasterers and plumbers all use exactly the same tactic to avoid paying tax but he makes no reference to thieving freelancers, presumably in his perfect little world only the rich practice tax avoidance.
- Bob, Cheam, 14/07/2009 15:47
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Were voters also asked if they were in favour of George Osborne's proposed VAT increase to twenty percent? It seems the majority of voters including children, pensioners and the unemployed are to pay for the greed, incompetence and selfishness of the Bankers while they continue to pay Capital Gains Tax rather than income tax on their bonuses. You can rely on Bankers to find a way of cheating honest taxpayers, if you are rich enough.
- F Frinton, Ealing England, 14/07/2009 13:16
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Gormless Brown has put the UK GBP1,400,000,000,000.00 in debt.
ANY IDIOT CAN SPEND MONEY WHICH DOES NOT BELONG TO THEM.
Roll on the General Election and kick these parasite wombles into the long grass forever.
- Reuben Camara, Republic of Morecambe, UK, 14/07/2009 11:42
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Why is cutting spending considered so beyond the pale anyway? You get the public services you are able and willing to pay for. This government has been living well beyond it's means for over a decade and now it's time for a reality check. The people who pay tax are not going to be willing to work for less than 50% of their salaries. So stop strangling the working population and cut spending!
- Mark, London, 14/07/2009 11:09
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Is Brown so deluded that he thinks he has even a remote chance of being re-elected? His advisers are doing him a grea disservice if they have not yet told him how we the voters feel about him and his corrupt labour government.
- R.F., Yorks, UK, 14/07/2009 10:45
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Oh come on, the only reason Mr Brown wants to increase it is to keep the unemployment statistics down.
Brown thoughts..."Hmmm, what other useless departments can I introduce".
- Tony Islander, Herts, 14/07/2009 10:16
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According to this piece, twenty-eight percent of voters need an urgent head-check - interesting?
- Ted, London, 14/07/2009 09:41
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