US president George W Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair have both fallen in the latest opinion polls on the back of the Iraqi prisoner-abuse scandal.
A Populus poll for The Timestoday shows most voters would prefer a Labour government to a Conservative one but also indicates the Tories have a four-point lead in the European elections.
The poll over the weekend, puts Labour on 32 per cent, down two points over the past month and the party's lowest rating since early in 1987, just before Baroness Thatcher won her third term.
Support for the Tories has risen by two points to 36 per cent, although a significant part of the Tory lead is because Conservative supporters are much more likely to vote at the June elections.
In the United States, President Bush's job approval rating has slipped to a new low and public support for the war in Iraq has declined, according to a new opinion poll.
The CNN/ USA Today/Gallup Poll found Mr Bush's approval rating had dipped to 46 per cent, down from 52 per cent a month earlier. However he remains ahead of Democratic presidential candidate, Mr John Kerry but only by a single point.
The new poll was conducted among 1,003 adults between Friday and Sunday, amid the broadening scandal over abuse of Iraqi prisoners by US troops.
Only 44 per cent of respondents said they believed the war was worthwhile, in another new low. In a poll taken a month ago, 50 per cent approved, while a year ago, 73 per cent supported the action.
Fifty four per cent of those polled said the invasion of Iraq was a mistake, and only 41 per cent said they believed Mr Bush was doing a good job handling the war.
Mr Bush's handling of terrorism remained his strongest suit, according to the poll with a 54-per cent approval rating. The respondents also said they had more confidence in Mr Bush to handle the situation in Iraq at 48 per cent compared to 45 per cent for Mr Kerry though the gap has narrowed considerably since a poll in March.
Agencies