THE combination of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown is seen by a big majority of voters as Labour’s strongest electoral asset, but also as a marriage of convenience which masks wide differences on key issues as well as personal rivalry.

The latest Times/ITV News tracker poll, prepared by Populus, confirms the strength of Labour’s position and shows how Michael Howard and the Tories are failing to make an impact. More than three fifths of voters (62 per cent) agree the Blair-Brown combination is Labour’s strongest asset. This includes 86 per cent of Labour supporters. Only a third disagree.

Labour has risen 1 point to 41 per cent, at the top of its recent range, with the Tories down 1 at 32 per cent. The Liberal Democrats are unchanged on 20 per cent, with other parties on 7 per cent.

The poll is conducted over four days, with a quarter of the sample fresh every evening. There is no sign that fierce exchanges on crime and immigration have dented Labour support. Internet polls, as opposed to telephone polls like Populus, show a slightly lower Labour rating, but they too have shown a shift against the Tories in the past week.

Moreover, the polls also point to a rising number of people saying that they are certain to vote. Nearly four fifths of Tory supporters (79 per cent) say that they are certain to vote, up 10 points over the past four days. Two thirds of Labour voters (67 per cent) say they are certain to vote — up 8 points over the period. Without these differences, Labour’s lead would be 2 points higher.

Separately and together, Mr Blair and Mr Brown are still assets for Labour. A third of voters (34 per cent) up four points on a week ago) say that Mr Blair has impressed them most of the main party leaders. This compares with 23 per cent naming Charles Kennedy and 18 per cent referring to Mr Howard, down 2 points.

But despite the favourable view of the Blair-Brown combination, two thirds of voters (65 per cent) believe that they have “significantly different views on many key issues”. This is a 4-point drop since last July. This probably reflects their many joint appearances during the campaign. But nearly two thirds of Labour voters believe they have significantly different views. But two thirds of the public, and more than half of Labour supporters, believe that “once the election is over they will become rivals again”.

The public is also sceptical about the personal alliance between Mr Blair and President Bush, with 64 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of Labour supporters believing that, if Mr Blair is re-elected, “he should be more distant from George W. Bush than in the past four years”.

Populus interviewed a random sample of 1,420 adults aged over 18 by telephone between April 20 and 23 for the voting intention question, and 711 adults between April 20 and 23 on Blair and Bush, and Blair and Brown; and 709 adults between April 19 and 22 on the impression of party leaders. Interviews were conducted across the country and results have been weighted to be representative of all adults. Populus is a member of the British Polling council and abides by its rules. For more details see www.populuslimited.com

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