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Full results of YouGov poll for The Sunday Times
VOTERS’ gloom about the economy and a series of “rip-off” price rises has turned them against Gordon Brown’s government again.
After the Conservative lead narrowed to five points over the Christmas period, a YouGov poll for The Sunday Times shows it has now doubled to 10 points.
David Cameron’s Tories are on 43%, Labour has 33% and the Liberal Democrats, under their new leader Nick Clegg, are on 14%. The Tories are up by three points, Labour is down two and the Lib Dems are down one.
Although the poll shows the parties are roughly back to where they were in mid-December, when Cameron’s party enjoyed a 13-point lead, it also confirms that the prime minister has yet to put his troubles of the final weeks of last year behind him.
Much of that is explained by gloom over the economy. All but a small proportion of people think Britain is heading for a year of slower growth or worse. More than a fifth, 22%, think there will be a recession while 21% think the economy will not grow at all.
By 41% to 14% people think their family’s finances will worsen this year, and by 32% to 27% they expect house prices to fall. They also mistrust figures showing inflation to be roughly 2%, based on the government’s consumer prices index. Nearly four-fifths, 79%, think inflation is “somewhat” or “significantly” higher than 2%.
This is because of a string of big price rises that have been announced or are on the way. With the exception of the supermarkets, who people now think offer a good deal to shoppers, there is an overwhelming sense that households are being “ripped off” across the board.
A net 85% of people think they are being overcharged by energy firms, who are raising gas and electricity bills, while 76% feel the same about rail companies, who have just raised fares by up to 14.5%.
Other “rip-off” groups include petrol firms, 74%; banks and financial service providers, 59%; dentists, 48%; and local government, 62%.
Last week the Tories unveiled a plan to crack down on people paid incapacity benefit, and this appears to have chimed with voters. By 84% to 9%, they favour subjecting claimants to check on their fitness for work.
One of Brown’s policies is also favoured by voters. The decision to push ahead with new nuclear power stations is backed by more than two to one; 59% to 27%, a sharp shift compared with two years ago, when nuclear was opposed by a similar margin
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Ben Grower of Bournemouth has never had it so good, which strikes me as a clear indication that centralised government doesn't work, as the lives of people in Bournemouth are vastly different to those in East London. Labour or Tory, Labour or Tory, Labour or Tory or Lib Dem? Folks who went pulbic school, folks who went cambridge, folks who went oxford, decisions, decisions, decisions.
If you live in London, and on your street the majority of people speak english to each other and wear suits and and pay more than £30 for a haircut, if you hire a nanny or a cleaner, if you reguarly eat out, well then your lives are so far removed from those of the people living in my area, that you should vote for a party that only makes decisions based on your choices and affecting your little bubble, and I'll vote for someone who knows what it's like to live with the affects of creating a pseudo middle class.
Sammy, London,
re ben grower. You'll have a tough time getting TB back, he's joined the TORIES at JP Morgan. I find it hard to believe you've never had it so good, i can only assume that you're either in the public sector or unemployed.
john caulfield, london, uk
What benefits has Mr Ben Grower, Bournemouth, England had to claim he has done well. Blair and Brown's Minister also have had benefits
M. Cawdery, Portadown, UK
The Tories will only bring us rack & ruin as a country. They are and always have been rotten to the core. Cameron is a joke and could never run this country. Osbourne is even worse.
I've never had it so good than under this government. Another ten years of Labour is what we need - pity Tony Blair did not carryy on. I hope he gets the Noble Peace Prize for all his great work.
At least he recognised what the Middle East is all about. unlike those idiots in theTory & Lib-Dem parties who have no understanding of international issues.
Ben Grower, Bournemouth, England
How many people SERIOUSLY believe that the Bank of England's MPC inflation target of 2% has reflected reality for the general public ? Utility prices and petrol prices have absolutely rocketed, Council Tax bills will increase in the region of 5%, train fares have gone up in double digits, many foods cost at least 10% more than this time last year.
The global low inflation environment came to an end some time ago so no doubt Labour will have to come up with some pathetic excuses as to why we are all about to sufer a nasty bout of inflation.
Richard, London, England
And who are the bankers, dentists, financial services providers etc - TORIES - so don't try to con us.
Ben Grower, Bournemouth, England
The Taxmeister has come unstuck.
Derek, Taunton, UK
Goodbye Mr Brown - this country does not want you. Maybe you could become a gold speculator.
justin, London,
It seems we are just going to have a long, drawn-out, two-year wait for an election, during which Brown and his sleazy cronies will become less and less popular. Just like Thatcher/Major duo, the Blair/Brown partnership will make Labour unelectable for ten years or so. However, we the public have already been delivered into the hands of greedy multinational corporations, their overpaid executives who expect annual "performance related bonuses", and their greedy shareholders who expect large increases in Dividends year in and year out, so for we ordinary folk little will change where price increases are concerned.
Neil, Gloucestershire, England
For the majority of respndents to say that supermarkets offer good value is perhaps disregarding the fact that they do make quite huge amounts of money. If Tesco can routinely post figures suggesting more than £2 billion profit annually, then can it truly be said that they offer the consumer a good deal?
This country is becoming, indeed it has become, an expensive place to live with the quality of life declining too. My friends, who emigrated to Canada ten years ago, must have had a better crystal ball than mine.
Tom, Lichfield,
Brown's ten years as chancellor was dedicated exclusively to stealth tax and the use of the proceeds to fund his own personal ambition. It worked for him, the punters will now pay the full price ....facing a massive deficit in public finances at the onset of an economic recession. The wealth that should have fostered economic competitiveness was squandered on a misguided public sector splurge for vote-catching purposes.
John Barkham, Buton-on-Trent, Staffs
Brown's ten years as chancellor was dedicated exclusively to stealth tax and the use of the proceeds to fund his own personal ambition. It worked for him, the punters will now pay the full price ....facing a massive deficit in public finances at the onset of an economic recession. The wealth that should have fostered economic competitiveness was squandered on a misguided public sector splurge for vote-catching purposes.
John Barkham, Buton-on-Trent, Staffs
I'm wondering about the lack of intelligence in the 30 odd percent who are still daft enough to want to vote for nulab.
Roger Jones, kettering,
Brown will be the shortest PM we have had for a while.
John, Essex, UK
At last people who earn money are beginning to realise that robber McBroon and the grasping utility and service companies will take every last penny of our disposable income.
The only thing we can do is punnish a high taxing government - and that is NuLab, through and through.
Chris, Wokingham, England