December 09, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - A majority of adults in Britain holds negative views on their prime minister, according to a poll by ICM Research released by BBC Newsnight. 57 per cent of respondents think Gordon Brown is tainted by sleaze, while fewer than 30 per cent feel the same way about Conservative leader David Cameron and acting Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - A majority of adults in Britain holds negative views on their prime minister, according to a poll by ICM Research released by BBC Newsnight. 57 per cent of respondents think Gordon Brown is tainted by sleaze, while fewer than 30 per cent feel the same way about Conservative leader David Cameron and acting Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable.

When asked which of the three leaders is cut out to be prime minister, Brown is slightly ahead of Cameron with 43 per cent. In addition, two-in-five respondents think both Brown and Cameron are competent leaders.

In June, 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. From 1979 to 1997, the Tories administered the British government under prime ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major.

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 is currently underway, 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.

On Nov. 27, Brown ordered an investigation into donations for his party worth about $1.2 million U.S. that exceeded legal amounts. The money, donated by property developer David Abrahams, was given to Labour through intermediaries beginning in 2003. John Whitty, a former Labour general secretary, began the inquiry the following day.

On Dec. 3, Huhne called for changes, saying, "British politics must be clean and seen to be clean, which means that there can be no question of secret donations. Only if donations are openly declared can we be sure that donors have not benefited from government decisions and that there is no link between the two."

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

Putting aside your own party preference for a moment, I would like you to think about the three main party leaders, Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Vince Cable. Choosing as many or as few as you like, which of the three...?

	Brown	Cameron	Cable
Is tainted by sleaze	57%	28%	15%
Is cut out to be prime minister	43%	41%	8%
Is a competent leader	42%	43%	14%

Source: ICM Research / BBC Newsnight
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,000 British adults, conducted from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2, 2007. No margin of error was provided.