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Tory poll lead reaches 20 points

18/05/2008

The Conservative lead over Labour has increased to 20 per cent, a YouGov poll suggests.

By contrast 45 per cent said they would vote Conservative, giving the Tories a three-point bump and extending their overall lead to 20 per cent.

The poll, published in the Sunday Times, reveals prime minister Gordon Brown's popularity ratings are fast approaching those of John Major before Tony Blair's landslide win in 1997.

In January 1995 Mr Major's support balance slumped to minus 63, the newspaper says. Mr Brown is now perilously close at minus 61, with 78 per cent saying he is doing badly and just 17 per cent thinking he is performing well.

By contrast David Cameron's popularity continues to increase, with 61 per cent of voters saying he is doing very well or fairly well as leader of the opposition.

Economic difficulties appear to be the main problem for the government. Mr Cameron and shadow chancellor George Osborne have nearly double the approval of Mr Brown and chancellor Alistair Darling.

Forty-two per cent said they believed bad decisions made by the government were responsible for the current economic situation.

It appears Mr Brown's tactic of closely linking himself to his economic performance is not likely to bring electoral success in the Crewe and Nantwich by-election, which takes place on Thursday.

A poll for the News of the World newspaper gives the Tories' candidate, Edward Timpson, an eight-point lead – double last week – on 45 per cent to Labour's 37 per cent.

The same poll found 59 per cent of respondents agreeing with the statement that the £2.7 billion compensation package, for the removal of the 10p tax bracket, unveiled by Mr Darling last week is an "election bribe".

Over two-thirds said it would not influence their voting decision, while just four per cent said it made them more likely to vote Labour.