September 11, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Adults in Britain hold differing views on the way the country’s opposition leader is trying to position his party, according to a poll by Populus published in The Times. 38 per cent of respondents think David Cameron has tried to change the Conservative party and seems to be sticking to that strategy.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Adults in Britain hold differing views on the way the country’s opposition leader is trying to position his party, according to a poll by Populus published in The Times. 38 per cent of respondents think David Cameron has tried to change the Conservative party and seems to be sticking to that strategy.

Conversely, 30 per cent of respondents believe Cameron started off by trying to change the Conservative party and bring it closer to the centre ground of politics, but recently seems to have moved back to the right. A quarter of respondents claim Cameron has never really seemed to be trying to change the Tories.

In June, Gordon Brown officially took over as Labour leader and prime minister from 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. From 1979 to 1997, the Tories administered the British government under prime ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major.

In an op-ed published in the Daily Telegraph on Sept. 8, Cameron discussed his views on conservatism, writing, "Yes, people want lower taxes, a strong voice on Europe and a government that is tough on crime. But they also want a government that gives them a health service on which they can rely, that deals with the social breakdown that contributes to rising crime, and that understands their desire for a better quality of life and a cleaner, greener environment."

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

Thinking about what you’ve noticed the Conservative party saying and doing in recent months, please say which of the following statements is closest to your view, even if none of the statements is exactly your view

David Cameron started off by trying to change the Conservative party and bring it closer to the centre ground of politics, but recently he seems to have moved back to the right	30%
David Cameron has tried to change the Conservative party and seems to be sticking to that strategy	38%
David Cameron has never really seemed to be trying to change the Conservative Party and bring it closer to the centre ground of politics	25%
Not sure	7%

Source: Populus / The Times

Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,506 British adults, conducted from Aug. 31 to Sept. 2, 2007. No margin of error was provided.