November 09, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - About the same amount of people in Britain is backing either the governing Labour Party or the opposition Conservatives, according to a poll by Populus published by The Times. 37 per cent of respondents would back Labour in the next election to the House of Commons, down three points since early October.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - About the same amount of people in Britain is backing either the governing Labour Party or the opposition Conservatives, according to a poll by Populus published by The Times. 37 per cent of respondents would back Labour in the next election to the House of Commons, down three points since early October.

The Tories are a close second with 36 per cent, followed by the Liberal Democrats with 16 per cent. 11 per cent of respondents would vote for other parties. Support for the Tories fell by two points in a month, while backing for the Lib-Dems increased by four points.

In June, 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. On Oct. 3, during the party’s annual conference, Cameron talked about his work in reforming the party and bringing it to the centre of the political spectrum. He also challenged Brown to call an early election. On Oct. 6, the prime minister announced he would not hold an early ballot.

In March 2006, the Liberal Democrats chose foreign affairs spokesman Menzies Campbell as their new leader. On Oct. 15, Campbell tendered his resignation. A leadership ballot of party members will take place this month, and the new Lib-Dem leader will be announced on Dec. 17. Campbell’s possible successors are environment spokesman Chris Huhne and current parliamentarian Nick Clegg.

As he unveiled his full government program on Nov. 6, Brown promised to respond to "the rising aspirations" of the British people by proposing 28 different bills and draft bills. The proposals focused mostly on the National Health Service (NHS), education, affordable housing, better balance between work and family life, and a strong economy . The prime minister said Labour’s program seeks to "provide the best chances for people to make the most of themselves and their potential" and is designed for "a Britain that realizes all the talents of all the people".

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?

	Nov. 4	Oct. 7	Oct. 3
Labour	37%	40%	39%
Conservative	36%	38%	36%
Liberal Democrats	16%	12%	14%
Other	11%	10%	11%

Source: Populus / The Times
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,503 British adults, conducted from Nov. 2 to Nov. 4, 2007. No margin of error was provided.