Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research

Tables Turn, Labour Now Leads in Britain

March 16, 2006

(Angus Reid Global Scan) - The governing Labour party is once again the top political organization in Britain, according to a poll by ICM Research published in The Guardian. 37 per cent of respondents would vote for Labour in the next election to the House of Commons.

The opposition Conservative party is second with 34 per cent, followed by the Liberal Democrats with 21 per cent. Eight per cent of respondents would vote for other parties. Support for Labour increased by three points in a month, while backing for the Tories fell by the same margin.

In May 2005, British voters renewed the House of Commons. The governing Labour party secured 356 seats, followed by the Conservatives with 197 and the Liberal Democrats with 62. Labour leader Tony Blair has served as prime minister since 1997. In October 2004, Blair vowed to retire at the end of his third term in office. Current chancellor of the exchequer Gordon Brown has been mentioned as his possible replacement.

Since December 2005, David Cameron has been the leader of the Conservative party. Earlier this month, the Liberal Democrats chose foreign affairs spokesman Menzies Campbell as their new leader.

Yesterday, Blair won the first test of his controversial school reform plans after a 458-115 vote in the House of Commons. Several Tories supported the measure, but 52 Labour members rebelled and 25 more did not vote. The bill seeks to provide schools with more control over admissions and budgets.

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 there were to be a general election tomorrow, which party do you think you would vote for?

Mar. 2006

Feb. 2006

Jan. 2006

Labour

37%

34%

36%

Conservative

34%

37%

37%

Liberal Democrat

21%

21%

19%

Other

8%

8%

7%

Source: ICM Research / The Guardian
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,006 British adults, conducted from Mar. 10 to Mar. 12, 2006. No margin of error was provided.

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