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Poll boost for Brown as Tories drop
22 Nov 2009- Cameron urges voters to keep Union
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Gordon Brown has been boosted by a poll suggesting the Tories' lead has been slashed.
An Ipsos MORI survey for The Observer put David Cameron's party on 37% - just six points ahead of Labour.
The gap is the narrowest between the two for nearly a year, and with the Lib Dems on 17% would result in a hung parliament if repeated at the general election.
The research also indicated growing optimism among the public. Some 43% now believe the economy will perform better over the next year, compared to 23% who say it will deteriorate and 28% who say it will stay the same.
Despite the improvement in Labour's position, the Prime Minister's personal ratings remain poor.
Just 34% of people are satisfied with his performance, while 59% are dissatisfied. The equivalent figures for Mr Cameron are 48% and 35%.
Ipsos MORI interviewed a representative sample of 1,006 adults by telephone between November 13 and 15. Data was weighted to match the UK population.
