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Blair's approval ratings slip
27/11/2005 14:35 - (SA)
London - More than six months after they re-elected him to a third term, 55% of Britons are dissatisfied with Prime Minister Tony Blair's personal performance, an opinion poll released on Sunday suggests.
The Mori survey for the Observer newspaper found that 57% were dissatisfied with the Labour government overall, and that only 37% were happy with the way Blair himself was doing his job.
The latter figures compares to the 49% satisfaction rating given to Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, the perceived custodian of Britain's prosperity and Blair's near-certain heir apparent.
Nearly 2 000 people were questioned face-to-face by Mori between November 17 and last Tuesday, amid speculation that Blair - who has pledged that this will be his last term in Downing Street - is losing his authority.
Mori's founder Robert Worcester, one of Britain's most respected pollsters, wrote that despite Blair's sagging personal rating, the Labour Party still enjoys a nine-point lead on the main opposition Conservatives.
Labour stands at 42%, better than the 36% of the popular vote that it reaped in the May general election, while the Tories - in the midst of finding a new leader - were at 33%, almost unchanged since the polls.
Iraq and terrorism led the list of public concerns at 41%, up 10% from a month earlier, followed by crime at 34% and health care at 29%.
- SAPA
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