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Labour get post-conference poll boost

25/09/2008

Labour's autumn conference in Manchester has helped the party halve its deficit in the polls against the Conservatives.

A poll by YouGov for the Sun newspaper cuts the Tory lead by ten points to ten per cent, a dramatic improvement for Britain's struggling governing party.

Labour is up seven points to 31 per cent while the Conservatives slip back three per cent to 41 per cent. The Liberal Democrats are on 16 per cent.

Mr Brown, currently engulfed in a post-conference row over whether or not Downing Street deliberately leaked details of Ruth Kelly's resignation as transport secretary, will be relieved by the bounce following his speech.

His exposition of a "new settlement" for Britain was warmly welcomed by most Labour supporters at the conference and his wife Sarah Brown, who introduced her husband, also proved a hit.

Despite the bump the prime minister continues to trail Tory leader David Cameron, however. Just under a quarter think he would be the best person in No 10, compared to 32 per cent for Mr Cameron.

And, despite having been the longest-serving chancellor in modern history, Mr Brown is viewed as not understanding the credit crunch's impact by 60 per cent of those polled.