Only a minority of William Hague's own Conservative Party supporters believe the opposition leader is the best candidate for prime minister, according to a new poll published today.
With a general election most likely to be held in June, the
Guardian/ICM
poll indicated that only 49 per cent of Conservative voters considered him the best person to lead the country, compared with 60 per cent three weeks ago.
Meanwhile, 16 per cent of Tory voters think Labour prime minister Tony Blair is the best man for the job, a five-point increase. He commands 82 per cent support among Labour voters.
Labour appears to have emerged relatively unscathed from the foot-and-mouth crisis currently ravaging British livestock - the only real thorn in Mr Blair's side on the eve of an expected election campaign.
Labour's overall support fell two points to 47 per cent while the Conservatives slipped one to 33 per cent. But the 14-point gap was still no narrower than the lead the government held before the outbreak of foot-and-mouth in February.
The results of the survey of 1,005 adults add weight to widespread expectations that Mr Blair will go to the country on June 7, the date when local council elections are to be held. The poll suggested that if an election were held immediately, Labour would win 412 seats, a majority of 165, with the Conservatives taking 192 and the Liberal Democrats 25.
Last week a survey of leading political scientists and commentators showed a majority believed it was only a matter of time before Hague was ousted as Tory leader by Shadow Chancellor Michael Portillo. The survey was carried out by the Reuters-owned online events service Kalends.
However, an NOP opinion poll for Channel 4's Powerhouse programme on Tuesday suggested voters of all affiliations preferred Shadow Home Secretary Anne Widdecombe to Portillo as the next leader of the Conservatives.