Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research

Tories Climb Back to First Place in Britain

December 19, 2005

(Angus Reid Global Scan) - The opposition Conservative party has become the most popular political organization in Britain, according to a poll by YouGov published in the Daily Telegraph. 38 per cent of respondents would vote for the Tories in the next election to the House of Commons.

The governing Labour party is second with 36 per cent, followed by the Liberal Democrats with 18 per cent. Eight per cent of respondents would vote for other parties. Support for the Tories increased by two points in a week, while backing for Labour remained stable.

In May, British voters renewed the House of Commons. The Labour party secured 356 seats, followed by the Conservatives with 197 and the Liberal Democrats with 62. In the 2001 election, Labour elected 413 parliamentarians. Prime minister Tony Blair has headed the government since 1997.

On Dec. 6, the Conservatives announced that education spokesman David Cameron would be their new leader. In October 2004, Blair vowed to retire at the end of his third term in office. Current chancellor of the exchequer Gordon Brown is expected to become the new Labour leader after Blair steps down.

On Dec. 16, Cameron appealed to Lib-Dem voters who are interested in issues such as social justice and the environment to take a look at his "modern, compassionate" leadership, adding, "Let me make one thing clear—I am a liberal Conservative. Come and join us."

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 a general election tomorrow, which party would you vote for?

 

Dec. 11

Dec. 6

Nov. 24

Conservative

38%

36%

35%

Labour

36%

36%

37%

Liberal Democrats

18%

18%

20%

Other

8%

10%

8%

Source: YouGov / Sky News
Methodology: Online interviews with 2,071 British adults, conducted on Dec. 13 to Dec. 15, 2005. No margin of error was provided.


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