Tories break 50 per cent poll barrier
Tories break 50 per cent poll barrier for first time since Thatcher The Conservatives have broken through the 50 per cent opinion poll barrier for the first time since the height of Margaret Thatcher's popularity. In a further blow to Gordon Brown, the Tories have extended their lead over Labour to 28 per cent, according to the Ipsos Mori survey. It came as one Cabinet minister admitted he is "worried" about Labour's plight and warned it was "ridiculous" to try and silence critics of Mr Brown. James Purnell, the Work and Pensions Secretary, joined his Cabinet colleague John Hutton and refused to attack those people who have called for a leadership election, leading to accusations that there is sympathy for those trying to unseat Mr Brown. He told the New Statesman: "I would agree with him on that and I think it would be ridiculous to pretend that you can't complain when you're worried. I mean, I'm worried that we're 20 points behind. I'm not going to condemn people or question their motives." The Ipsos MORI poll put the Tories on 52 per cent, up four points, Labour unchanged on 24 and the Liberal Democrats, down four to 12 per cent. The 28 point Labour deficit came as the party prepared to gather for its annual conference in Manchester. The last time the Conservatives polled more than 50 per cent was in August 1988, when Mrs Thatcher was considered at her height after her third general election win. snip http://tinyurl.com/47jndf The Labour conference will be interesting.
Tories break 50 per cent poll barrier for first time since Thatcher The Conservatives have broken through the 50 per cent opinion poll barrier for the first time since the height of Margaret Thatcher's popularity. In a further blow to Gordon Brown, the Tories have extended their lead over Labour to 28 per cent, according to the Ipsos Mori survey. It came as one Cabinet minister admitted he is "worried" about Labour's plight and warned it was "ridiculous" to try and silence critics of Mr Brown. James Purnell, the Work and Pensions Secretary, joined his Cabinet colleague John Hutton and refused to attack those people who have called for a leadership election, leading to accusations that there is sympathy for those trying to unseat Mr Brown. He told the New Statesman: "I would agree with him on that and I think it would be ridiculous to pretend that you can't complain when you're worried. I mean, I'm worried that we're 20 points behind. I'm not going to condemn people or question their motives." The Ipsos MORI poll put the Tories on 52 per cent, up four points, Labour unchanged on 24 and the Liberal Democrats, down four to 12 per cent. The 28 point Labour deficit came as the party prepared to gather for its annual conference in Manchester. The last time the Conservatives polled more than 50 per cent was in August 1988, when Mrs Thatcher was considered at her height after her third general election win. snip http://tinyurl.com/47jndf The Labour conference will be interesting.