The gamble pays off: Miliband poll ratings shoot up

By

Ed Miliband's speech has earned him a crucial poll bounce in the all-important area of who would make the best prime minister.

While Labour has regularly enjoyed a ten-point lead over the Tories, Miliband has struggled with his own personal ratings against David Cameron, who is considered a tougher, more prime ministerial figure.

But polling conducted since his 'one nation' speech shows the opposition leader challenging the prime minister in his last remaining area of advantage.

Twenty-seven per cent of people now think Miliband would make the best prime minister, just four points below Cameron's 31%, the YouGov poll showed.

Meanwhile Labour's lead has grown to 14 points, with the party's 45% support comparing favourably to 31% for the Tories and ten per cent for the Lib Dems.

Miliband enjoyed a massive 12-point jump on those who believe he has "made clear what he stands for", suggesting the speech resonated with the public.

Twenty-eight per cent of respondents thought Labour best fits the description of a 'one nation' party, compared to just 14% for the Conservatives.

The figure is remarkable, given the phrase has been associated with the Tory party for over 100 years.

However, 39% answered 'none of them' while 13% said 'don’t know'.

The figures compare very favourably with last year, when Miliband failed to get a conference bounce from his 'producers vs predators' speech.

They also suggest Cameron will have to take on Miliband's ideas in his own speech, or risk handing over the idea of government for all to his opponent.

Political news to your inbox

Fill in your details to receive Politics.co.uk's brand of informed, in-depth and independent coverage of Westminster to your inbox

Hot topics

Britain's great energy debate

How the power gets to Britain's homes in the next century remains a matter of deep controversy

As the next general election begins to loom over the horizon, the debate over Britain's future energy policy mix is starting to hot up - and nothing seems guaranteed.

The Heathrow third runway debate

Heathrow's third runway is just one of many options

There won't be a final decision on Britain's long-term aviation strategy until after the 2015 general election - but an aggressive national debate is already underway.

Opinion Former Events

BSIA: Information Destruction Exhibition & Conference 2013

Following the great success of the BSIA's Information Destruction Conference and Exhibition in May 2012, we are pleased to annouce that the event is returning again in June 2013. This one-day conference and exhibition is aimed at key decision makers in organisations that carry out the secure destruction of confidential material.