Poll gives Labour big lead
2005-03-27 12:32
London - Prime Minister Tony Blair's governing Labour Party enjoys a 12-point lead on the main opposition Conservatives as an expected British general election draws closer, a new opinion poll on Sunday suggests.
The poll for the Independent on Sunday newspaper, conducted on Tuesday and Wednesday by CommunicateResearch, put Labour at 43%, the Tories at 31% and the Liberal Democrats at 17%.
The results follow a YouGov poll for the Daily Telegraph on Friday which showed Labour and Tories running virtually neck and neck at 35% and 34% respectively.
The Independent on Sunday poll, based on phone interviews with 1 012 adults, was carried out just before the Conservatives were accused of having a hidden agenda to slash public spending to a greater degree than proposed.
The furore was based on remarks by senior Tory member of parliament Howard Flight to a Thatcherite think tank, prompting party leader Michael Howard to dump Flight from his list of candidates.
Blair, keen to win a third straight term in office for Labour, is expected to announce a May 5 election in the next week or two.