Labour has edged slightly farther ahead in the latest Populus poll for The Times, amid evidence that public enthusiasm for the Tories and Lib Dems working together is fading.
Labour’s support is now on 41 per cent, up 2 points on the Populus poll from last month, while the Tories are down one, on 35 per cent.
The Lib Dems remain unchanged on 11 per cent. Of the remaining parties, UKIP secured 5 per cent support and the Greens 4 per cent.
Voters’ initial warm enthusiasm for the decision of the Conservatives and Lib Dems to form a coalition is also now waning.
The public are now evenly divided, with 48 per cent agreeing and 49 per cent disagreeing. Last September an overwhelming majority supported the decision to form a coalition, 68 per cent to 29 per cent.
Advertisement
Conservative voters are divided 51 per cent to 48 per cent, when just last September they endorsed the coalition 84 per cent to 16 per cent. Lib Dem voters still prefer coalition to a minority Conservative government by 61 per cent to 37 per cent.
Britain is expected by voters to play a strong role in the current crisis, according to a Populus poll for The Times, with a clear majority supporting help for refugees regardless of their country of origin and almost half backing military intervention on humanitarian grounds.
The poll found 49 per cent believe Britain should be prepared to use military force to prevent foreign regimes launching attacks against people campaigning for freedom.
This narrowly outweighs the 45 per cent against, a finding likely to surprise many MPs who think the public would be cautious about engaging in foreign conflict after events in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Lib Dems are the least in favour, with 50 per cent opposed and 41 per cent in favour.
Advertisement
The poll also found a big majority in favour of Britain helping refugees, with 68 per cent in favour and 28 per cent against. This is an effectively endorsement of the mission last week by Andrew Mitchell, the International Development Secretary, to help refugees stranded on the Libyan-Tunisian border.
Meanwhile a majority, 53 per cent, reject Britain’s foreign policy of the past 30 years, supporting undemocratic regimes in favour of stability, while 38 per cent say they disagree.
Britain also has an obligation to passport holders working abroad when their safety is threatened by political unrest on the ground, according to voters, with 86 per cent in favour and 11 per cent opposed.