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Ardross
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Polls favour a Labour victory
9 April 2005
Labour is heading for General Election victory, according to the results of opinion polls just published.
But the surveys offer widely-different estimates of the extent of its lead, as the parties square up for the first week of full-scale campaigning and the publication of their manifestos over the next few days.
A Mori poll for The Observer and Sunday Mirror puts Tony Blair's party a hefty seven points ahead among those certain to vote, with 40% against the Conservatives' 33% and the Liberal Democrats' 19%.
Labour's lead is a more modest four points in an ICM poll for the Sunday Telegraph, with 38%, against 34% for the Tories and 20% for Charles Kennedy's party.
But a YouGov survey in the Sunday Times gives Labour a far slimmer lead of just two points, putting Mr Blair's party at 37%, against Michael Howard's on 35% and the Lib Dems on 21%.
Any of the results would reduce Labour's representation in the new Parliament, but still leave Mr Blair with a substantial absolute majority.
The YouGov survey revealed concern over electoral fraud following recent court cases in Birmingham and Blackburn, with 24% saying they no longer trust the election process and 64% arguing that postal voting should be halted until the system is tightened up.
Chancellor Gordon Brown was picked as the politician voters would be most ready to entrust with their life savings, with 34% in the Sunday Times poll, ahead of the three party leaders.
But Mr Blair was the leader people would be most willing to sit next to on a long journey, ahead of Brown, Kennedy and Howard with 29%.
Labour is rated higher than the Conservatives on all the major policy areas except law and order and immigration in the Sunday Telegraph poll. And the Sunday Times finds a large majority of 48% to 16% saying that the economy has improved under Mr Blair's administration. But the same paper reports respondents to its poll think public services have got worse and crime gone up under Labour.
9 April 2005
Labour is heading for General Election victory, according to the results of opinion polls just published.
But the surveys offer widely-different estimates of the extent of its lead, as the parties square up for the first week of full-scale campaigning and the publication of their manifestos over the next few days.
A Mori poll for The Observer and Sunday Mirror puts Tony Blair's party a hefty seven points ahead among those certain to vote, with 40% against the Conservatives' 33% and the Liberal Democrats' 19%.
Labour's lead is a more modest four points in an ICM poll for the Sunday Telegraph, with 38%, against 34% for the Tories and 20% for Charles Kennedy's party.
But a YouGov survey in the Sunday Times gives Labour a far slimmer lead of just two points, putting Mr Blair's party at 37%, against Michael Howard's on 35% and the Lib Dems on 21%.
Any of the results would reduce Labour's representation in the new Parliament, but still leave Mr Blair with a substantial absolute majority.
The YouGov survey revealed concern over electoral fraud following recent court cases in Birmingham and Blackburn, with 24% saying they no longer trust the election process and 64% arguing that postal voting should be halted until the system is tightened up.
Chancellor Gordon Brown was picked as the politician voters would be most ready to entrust with their life savings, with 34% in the Sunday Times poll, ahead of the three party leaders.
But Mr Blair was the leader people would be most willing to sit next to on a long journey, ahead of Brown, Kennedy and Howard with 29%.
Labour is rated higher than the Conservatives on all the major policy areas except law and order and immigration in the Sunday Telegraph poll. And the Sunday Times finds a large majority of 48% to 16% saying that the economy has improved under Mr Blair's administration. But the same paper reports respondents to its poll think public services have got worse and crime gone up under Labour.
