You are in > manchester.com  > News > Poll sees voters dismissing PM's performance

Politics

Poll sees voters dismissing PM's performance

02/07/2008

Confidence in Gordon Brown's premiership has plummeted to new lows, an inthenews.co.uk poll shows.

Only 12 per cent of respondents said they believed Mr Brown was a good prime minister one year after the former chancellor moved next door to No 10.

His 12 months in office began with a honeymoon period as he efficiently dealt with a series of crises, but opinion began to turn against him as he equivocated over whether or not to call a snap general election in autumn 2007.

Further problems including data losses, the 10p tax row and a series of humiliating election results have driven opinion down further, to its current low level. Eighty-three per cent said they did not think Mr Brown had been a good prime minister.

There is nowhere to hide for Mr Brown, as the same respondents did not attribute poor coverage of his premiership for the problem. Eighty-six per cent said the media had not been too harsh on him.

Confidence in the Labour party's ability to win an election, even with a new leader, has plummeted. A fifth were unsure about Labour's prospects if the party gets rid of Mr Brown, but even less thought the party stood a chance of victory. Nearly two-thirds dismissed Labour's chances outright, even with a new leader.

The only grain of hope which Labour party supporters can cling to from the poll is a slightly greater equivocation on the Conservative alternative.

Fifty-nine per cent said David Cameron would make a better prime minister, but 21 per cent said they were unsure and 20 per cent insisted Mr Brown was superior than the Tory alternative.