Tories build on lead

Monday, 26 January 2009 12:00 AM

By politics.co.uk staff

The Tory lead over Labour has shot up again, rising from five to 15 points in one month.

The new poll results are being taken as proof the 'Brown bounce' was short-lived.

The ComRes survey for The Independent put the Conservatives on 43 per cent (up four points on last month), Labour on 28 per cent (down six) and the Liberal Democrats on 16 per cent (unchanged).

If the results were reproduced at a general election, David Cameron would hold a majority of 120.

The results make the worst reading for Labour since their performance improved at the start of the financial crisis.

Labour are still trusted above the Conservatives in terms of financial competence, but the gap is narrowing.

In November, 47 per cent of people trusted Mr Brown and Alistair Darling most to take the UK through the crisis, while 28 per cent said David Cameron and George Osborne would be more competent.

Now, only 35 per cent trust the Brown-Darling team, while 33 opt for the Cameron-Osborne team.

There is also considerable suspicion that the government's anti-recession plans will not work.

Only 33 per cent of people believe the current plans are the right solution, while 58 per cent disagree. There is pitifully little support for the VAT cut, with 55 per cent of respondents calling it "foolish".

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