Another promising poll for Ed Miliband

Second poll sees Labour lead increase

Second poll sees Labour lead increase

By politics.co.uk staff

Another poll has given Labour a substantial increase in their poll lead.

YouGov's poll for the Sunday Times put Ed Miliband's party on 43%, nine points ahead of the Conservatives on 34%.

It follows Ipsos Mori's poll for Reuters released on Thursday, which saw Labour strengthen its lead over the Tories to seven points.

Analysts said they thought the result looked like being an anomaly, but it is not yet clear whether the opposition are profiting from the deepening gloom of the economic situation and uncertainty caused by the eurozone crisis.

The Liberal Democrats continued to struggle, polling 11% in the YouGov poll and 12% in the Ipsos Mori poll.

In their second ever national poll, pollsters Survation raised eyebrows by placing Ukip on 11%, just one point behind the Liberal Democrats and up seven points from the eurosceptic party's showing in their first survey.

Survation has adopted a different methodological approach which may explain the figures.

Its online poll randomised the order in which the top four parties appeared, reducing a suspected bias in favour of the largest parties caused by them appearing at the top of the list.