BRITAIN:GORDON BROWN's pre-conference misery will be compounded this morning by a new poll putting Conservative support at its highest since Margaret Thatcher's heyday
The Ipsos Mori survey released through the Press Association puts David Cameron's Conservatives on 52 per cent, a full 28 points ahead of Labour on 24 per cent. This is the first time Tory support has broken through the 50 per cent barrier since Mrs Thatcher was in power, its lead the highest ever recorded by Ipsos Mori.
The growing turmoil in the world's financial markets saw Mr Brown involved in yesterday's protracted HBOS-Lloyds merger negotiations amid suggestions that the global crisis might at least play to his advantage in staying the hand of those Labour MPs eager to force a leadership contest.
The embattled prime minister won another respite when rumoured resignations by a number of ministerial aides failed to materialise. But as the party's bitter public debate raged on, the cold comfort for the prime minister was that critical cabinet ministers seem content to delay their verdict on his future until later this autumn.
Bad news continued hammering on the door of 10 Downing Street, meanwhile, as the headline rate of unemployment rose to 5.5 per cent, its highest since 1999.
TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said the figures showed unemployment accelerating, with the jobless total likely to reach two million during 2009.
Addressing his first party conference as leader yesterday, Nick Clegg told the Liberal Democrats they were "headed for government" and that Labour was "finished".
While Mr Clegg is hoping for a post-conference bounce, today's poll is also bad news for him and his party - its miserable 12 per cent rating suggesting a party being effectively squeezed by the government's declining popularity and the growing enthusiasm for the Conservative alternative.
Mr Cameron's Conservatives are rated ahead on a range of key issues, with respondents saying they have the better leaders (38 per cent to Labour's 20 per cent) and the better understanding of the economic problems facing Britain (36 per cent to Labour's 27 per cent).