Labour has lost half its support

Posted: Tue 23 Jun 2009 6 38 am

Labour is facing a mass defection of voters, with only half of those who backed the party at the last general election intending to do so again.

An exclusive Metro/Harris poll of 2,081 people reveals that 52 per cent of those who voted Labour in 2005 are considering backing another party, compared with only 15 per cent of Conservatives who are thinking of defecting.

One in ten of those leaving Labour is planning to vote Conservative while one in five plans to support one of the minor parties.

Those who voted Liberal Democrat at the last election are also wavering, with only 50 per cent sure they will back the party again.

The electorate appears to be punishing MPs for the expenses scandal, with more than one in five young people (22 per cent) saying they would vote for a minority party.

Overall, 30 per cent of those polled said they would vote Conservative, 17 per cent Labour and 14 per cent Liberal Democrat.

When the 15 per cent of undecided voters, or those who definitely will not vote, are removed, this puts the Tories on 35 per cent, Labour 20 per cent, the Lib Dems 16 per cent and other parties 29 per cent.

The 15-point lead would translate into 158 more seats for the Tories than Labour and an overall majority of 62 â€“ the same majority as Labour holds at present. Labour, on 349, currently has 156 more seats than the Conservatives. The Harris poll was carried out online on a cross- section of society in England, Wales and Scotland bet ween June 10 and 17, right in the middle of the publicÂation of the leaked MPs' expenses claims.

Just a week before, Labour received a drubbing in the local and Euro pean elections, winning its fewest ever number of seats.

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?Labour_has_lost_half_its_support&in_article_id=690135&in_page_id=34

Posted: Tue 23 Jun 2009 6 51 am

Excellent news!

Why is this thought to be a punishment for the expenses row, though? The Tory members have been just as heavily flagellated as those of the other parties, and the Liberals least of all of them - partly because they have fewer MPs.

If people are turning away from "progressives" it must surely be rejection of the wreckage this government has made of the economy, the constitution, education, health, foreign affairs - and everything else it has touched.

The Liberals suffer because everyone knows they would sustain a Labour Government is office, given the chance.

It is most certainly a turning from, rather than a turning to. But I have always thought we vote against, rather than for, when there is a change. "Turn the rascals out!" So this is no surprise. The next Conservative government will have to earn the electorate's continuing support.

The sooner the better.