(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Britain’s main opposition party continues to gain supporters, according to a poll by Communicate Research published in The Independent. 46 per cent of respondents would vote for the Conservative party in the next election to the House of Commons, up two points since mid-June.

The governing Labour party is second with 25 per cent, followed by the Liberal Democrats with 18 per cent. Nine per cent of respondents would vote for other parties.

In June 2007, 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. In October 2007, Cameron challenged Brown to call a snap election, but the prime minister later announced he would not hold an early ballot.

In December 2007, current parliamentarian Nick Clegg became the new leader of the Liberal Democrats, defeating environment spokesman Chris Huhne in a leadership ballot by just over 500 votes.

On Jul. 1, former Metropolitan Police commissioner John Stevens released a national security report in which he suggested the creation of a force with new powers to crack down on terrorism, organized crime, immigration and smuggling.

Cameron agreed with the recommendation, saying, "I think it confirms what we have long thought, that, at our points of entry into the UK, there are just too many agencies, often pulling in different directions. (…)We would like one service that pulls it together and ensures we have greater security at our points of entry."

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

What party would you vote for in the next general election?

Source: Communicate Research / The Independent
Methodology: Interviews with 1,007 British adults, conducted on Jun. 25 and Jun. 26, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

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