(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Most people in Britain would still like to see David Cameron become prime minister, according to a poll by YouGov published in the Daily Telegraph. 51 per cent of respondents would want the next election to result in a Conservative government led by Cameron, down three points since June.

Conversely, 32 per cent of respondents would prefer to have a Labour government led by Gordon Brown. Still, 37 per cent of respondents say Cameron would make the best prime minister, followed by Brown with 19 per cent, and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg with six per cent.

In June 2007, 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, Cameron has been the leader of the Conservative party. In October 2007, Cameron challenged Brown to call a snap election, but the prime minister later announced he would not hold an early ballot.

In December 2007, current parliamentarian Clegg became the new leader of the Liberal Democrats, defeating environment spokesman Chris Huhne in a leadership ballot by just over 500 votes.

Britain has suffered this year due to a real estate crisis, hiking oil prices and a slowing global economy. On Sept. 1, Brown defended his government’s handling of the economy, saying, "There are unique circumstances with the trebling of oil prices. That has not happened previously—and of course with the credit crunch. But we are showing that, unlike previous governments that could not manage a way through these difficulties successfully, we are resilient in the way we are dealing with these problems. And I think you’ll find that the actions we have taken and the actions we are taking are actions that are designed to help British people get through what is a difficult world economic downturn."

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 you had to choose, which would you prefer to see after the next election, a Conservative government led by David Cameron or a Labour government led by Gordon Brown?

Who would make the best prime minister?

Source: YouGov / Daily Telegraph
Methodology: Online interviews with 2,267 British voters, conducted on Aug. 26 and Aug. 27, 2008. No margin of error was provided.

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