Split poll performance for coalition parties
By politics.co.uk staff
The Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties continue to experience very different polling performances following their decision to enter into coalition.
A YouGov poll for the Sunday Times newspaper saw the Tories on 41% while the Lib Dems were on just 15%, eight points more than Nick Clegg’s party won in the general election.
Meanwhile Labour stood on 36%, five points behind the Tories.
A separate poll for the People newspaper by OnePoll gave very different results. It suggested the Tories were on 40%, Labour on 30% and the Lib Dems matching their election performance on 23%.
Separate research from YouGov for the Sun newspaper carried out on Wednesday and Thursday put the Tories on 43%, Labour on 35% and the Lib Dems on 15%.
Poor performances in the polls by the Lib Dems is helping prompt some of its more outspoken MPs to openly challenge the coalition.
Tim Farron, who lost to Simon Hughes in the race to succeed Vince Cable as party leader, told the BBC on Friday that the Tories offered a “toxic brand” which the Lib Dems were “providing some cover for”.
“Part of it is that the Conservative party, at the end of it, is less ugly than when it went into it,” he told the World At One programme.
“The problem is that most Tory MPs are determined to keep it ugly.”
