(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Britain’s state of political instability is benefiting smaller parties, according to a poll by Populus published in The Times. 36 per cent of respondents would vote for the opposition Conservatives in the next election to the House of Commons, down three points since late May.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Britain’s state of political instability is benefiting smaller parties, according to a poll by Populus published in The Times. 36 per cent of respondents would vote for the opposition Conservatives in the next election to the House of Commons, down three points since late May.
The governing Labour party is second with 24 per cent, also down three points. The Liberal Democrats are third with 19 per cent, up two points. 21 per cent of respondents would vote for a different party, up three points since late May.
In June 2007, Gordon Brown officially became Labour leader and prime minister, replacing Tony Blair. Brown had worked as chancellor of the exchequer. Blair served as Britain’s prime minister since May 1997, winning majority mandates in the 1997, 2001 and 2005 elections to the House of Commons.
Since December 2005, David Cameron has been the leader of the Conservative party. In December 2007, current parliamentarian Nick Clegg became the new leader of the Liberal Democrats.
Brown’s tenure and the Labour party have been severely affected by a major economic crisis and recent revelations concerning the expense claims of British lawmakers. Labour fared poorly in recent local and European elections.
Last month, British newspaper Daily Telegraph published a leaked memo showing that several lawmakers have spent their allowances on things such as tennis court repairs, horse manure, light bulbs, pornographic movies and even mortgage payments. The scandalous revelations have greatly affected the reputation of Britain’s Parliament, mostly because such expenses billed to the tax payers are technically allowed due to loose regulation. Members of all major political parties have been implicated in the scandal.
On May 19, Michael Martin, speaker of the House of Commons, resigned—a first in over three centuries—over the expense row. Martin was accused of resisting new legislation that would have made lawmakers’ expenses more transparent.
Brown has re-shuffled his cabinet to deal with the crisis, but seven ministers have resigned over the past few days. The last one, communications minister Stephen Carter, announced he was leaving on Jun. 12.
Brown has rejected calls to hold an early legislative election. Some Labour members have suggested there could be a leadership race within the party before the next ballot is due.
On Jun. 16, chairman of the Conservative party Eric Pickles said that the Tories, Labour, and the Liberal Democrats must fight the growing influence of the far-right British National Party (BNP). Pickles called the BNP a "fascist" and "Nazi" organization, and warned that it could well become "a very serious force in British politics."
The next election to the House of Commons must be held on or before Jun. 3, 2010. Sitting prime ministers can dissolve Parliament and call an early ballot at their discretion.
Polling Data
If the general election was tomorrow, which party would you vote for?
|
|
Jun. 10
|
May 20
|
May 8
|
|
Conservative
|
36%
|
39%
|
39%
|
|
Labour
|
24%
|
27%
|
26%
|
|
Liberal Democrats
|
19%
|
17%
|
22%
|
|
Other
|
21%
|
18%
|
13%
|
Source: Populus / The Times
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,001 British adults, conducted on Jun. 9 and Jun. 10, 2009. No margin of error was provided.
