The Conservatives have better leaders, are more competent and have a clearer idea of Britain’s problems than Labour, according to a Populus poll for The Times which suggests that the Opposition has a long way to go to regain trust.
With two weeks until the Budget, voters say that they have more faith in David Cameron, Nick Clegg and George Osborne to manage the economy than in Labour’s team of Ed Miliband and Ed Balls. While 44 per cent say that they trust the coalition’s key economics figures, 33 per cent prefer the Labour team. The biggest switch against the coalition is among manual workers and tradespeople in the C2 category.
In the most detailed examination in party attitudes since September, 41 per cent agree that the Tories have a “good team of leaders”, down 12 points, against 29 per cent for Labour. Meanwhile, 39 per cent of people say that the Tories are “competent and capable”, against 34 per cent for Labour.
Labour has made its biggest progress in convincing the public that it is a “united party”, with 39 per cent acknowledging that its leaders work together, up 11 points, putting it almost level with the Conservatives, on 40. Labour’s lead over the Tories has grown on “shares my values” from 1 point to 9 points, while 27 per cent agree that Labour is “for ordinary people, not just the best off”, up from 21 per cent.
The impact of the tuition fees compromise by the Lib Dems is laid bare in the poll, with the party taking a dramatic hit on almost every indicator. Only 24 per cent believe that they have a “good team of leaders”, down 20 points, and 22 per cent think that they are a united party, down 18 points.
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They now trail Labour on the measure of whether they have “clear ideas to deal with Britain’s problems”, down 17 points to 25 per cent. Perhaps the most awkward finding is the sharp drop of the number of people who think they are “honest and principled”, dropping from 40 per cent in September to 24 per cent now, falling behind Labour who have been steady on 33. The Tories have dropped 9 points over the period and are now on 30 per cent.
The public would also rather see the Chancellor limiting public spending cuts in the Budget this month. While 38 per cent choose limiting public spending cuts, 30 per cent prefer reducing the deficit more quickly and 28 per cent want a cut in taxes.