Tighter Political Scene in Britain as Labour and Miliband Lose Points
The Leader of the Opposition and the Deputy Prime Minister posted the worst approval ratings of their respective tenures.
Polls RSS
(01/24/12) -
Britain’s main political parties are now practically tied, following a difficult start of the year for Leader of the Opposition Ed Miliband and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.
The online survey of a representative sample of 2,009 British adults also shows that the approval rating for Prime Minister David Cameron increased by four points since November.
Voting Intention
Across Britain, 37 per cent of decided voters and leaners (-5 since November) say they would support the Labour candidate in their constituency in the next General Election. The Conservative Party is now a close second with 35 per cent (+2), followed by their coalition partners—the Liberal Democrats—with 11 per cent (+3).
The United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) is in fourth place with six per cent, followed by the Scottish National Party (SNP) with four per cent, the Green Party with three per cent, the British National Party (BNP) with two per cent, and Plaid Cymru with one per cent.
In the North, Labour keeps a large advantage over the Tories (51% to 26%), and is four-point ahead in London (39% to 35%). In Midland and Wales—where two months ago Labour held an eight-point lead—the two main parties are virtually even (Labour 36%, Conservatives 35%). The Conservatives are first on the South of England (46% to 28%), and the SNP has a nine-point lead over Labour in Scotland (42% to 33%).
Approval
Prime Minister David Cameron gained four points since November to remain the top rated politician at 41 per cent, matching his numbers for the first months of 2011. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg continues to post low numbers, even when his party gains. Clegg’s approval rating of 24 per cent is his lowest since taking office, while his disapproval rating (65%, +3) is the highest.
The start of the year has been challenging for Ed Miliband, who lost four points on the approval measurement (25%) and saw his disapproval numbers increase by seven points (from 49% in November to 56% now). It is important to note that, even in areas where the Labour Party is performing well—such as the North—a majority of respondents disapprove of the performance of the Labour leader.
Download Full Methodology Statement
Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)
CONTACT:
Mario Canseco, Vice President, Angus Reid Public Opinion
+877 730 3570
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com
Methodology: From January 22 to January 23, 2012, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 2,009 randomly selected British adults who are Springboard UK panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 2.2%. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region data to ensure samples representative of the entire adult population of Great Britain. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.
