(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Many adults in Britain believe David Cameron should supplant Michael Howard as the country's opposition leader, according to a poll by ICM Research published in The Guardian. 44 per cent of respondents would prefer to have the education spokesman as leader of the Conservative party.

Shadow home secretary David Davis is second with 20 per cent. In a sample of Tory voters, Cameron holds a 39-point advantage over Davis.

In May, British voters renewed the House of Commons. The governing Labour party secured 35.2 per cent of the vote and 356 seats, followed by the Conservatives with 32.2 per cent and 197 legislators, and the Liberal Democrats with 22 per cent and 62 lawmakers. Following the election, Tory leader Michael Howard vowed to stand down.

The process to select the new Conservative leader began this month. After two elimination ballots open only to Conservative MPs, the 39-year-old Cameron and the 56-year-old Davis are now the only candidates in contention. The new leader will be chosen in a postal ballot open to the 300,000 Conservative members in Britain. The results will be announced on Dec. 6.

From 1979 to 1997, the Conservative party administered the British government under prime ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major. In this year's election, the Tories won 31 more seats than in the 2001 ballot.

Earlier this month, Cameron described current prime minister Tony Blair as being "in his twilight years," adding, "It is only a matter of time before he shuffles off on a lecture tour of the United States of America. He is history's man. I think the real challenge is going to be (current chancellor of the exchequer) Gordon Brown."

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.

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Who would you prefer as the new leader of the Conservative party?

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