Labour falls behind as Tories stay in the lead
DAVID Cameron and the Tories have retained a 3 per cent lead among voters while Labour has slumped into third place, an exclusive opinion poll for the Daily Express revealed last night.
A survey by pollsters Opinium found the Conservatives remain on course to win the biggest number of Commons seats in the General Election, although without an overall majority.
And the surprise surge in support for the Lib Dems appears to be slipping away, despite the third party edging ahead of Labour.
The weekly Daily Express/Opinium poll of nearly 2,000 adults yesterday forecast a 32 per cent share of the vote for the Tories, down by 7 per cent compared with a week ago.
Labour plunged by 5 per cent to 26 per cent, enough to give the party its lowest share of the vote since the First World War.
And the Lib Dems enjoyed a 12 per cent rise in support to 29 per cent compared with last week in a bounce following Nick Clegg’s success in the party leaders’ debate on Thursday.
If repeated at the election, the vote share would make the Tories the biggest party at Westminster, but leave them 62 seats short of an overall majority, according to the website Electoral Calculus.
Mr Cameron’s inner circle was last night heartened by the Daily Express poll, which appeared to suggest that the much-talked about “Clegg factor” is already fading.
One senior Tory source said: “This poll is good news for us. It shows Lib Dem support has slipped since the weekend and is back below 30 per cent.
“It could be that they have peaked already. This election is clearly up for grabs.” The Lib Dems appeared to gain their biggest surge in support among younger voters.
The Opinium survey showed 40 per cent of people aged 18-34 backed the third party. Support was less enthusiastic among more mature voters, with vote shares of 26 per cent and 24 per cent respectively in the 35-54 and 55-plus age groups.
Lib Dem support also appeared to be slightly stronger among women than men, with backing from 30 per cent of women and 27 per cent of men. Regionally, Lib Dem support was strongest in the North-east of England, attracting 44 per cent of voters. Tory support appeared to be holding firm in the East Midlands (39 per cent), East of England (40 per cent), London (39 per cent) and South-east (39 per cent).
Opinium interviewed 1,957 adults over the internet in England, Scotland and Wales between April 16 and 19 for the Daily Express poll. A separate poll by ICM put the Tories down 4 per cent to 33 per cent, Labour down 3 per cent to 28 per cent and the Lib Dems up 10 per cent to 30 per cent.
A similar vote share on May 6 would make Labour the biggest party in the Commons, but 63 seats short of an overall majority.
A third opinion poll last night, by ComRes, gave the Tories a 4 per cent lead while putting Labour and the Lib Dems level-pegging.
The survey gave the Tories a 32 per cent share of the vote with Labour and the Lib Dems on 28 per cent. At the election, a similar vote share would make Labour the biggest party at Westminster, 47 seats short of an overall majority.
