UK NEWS

TORIES TO SECURE CREWE WIN - POLL

The Conservatives are ahead in a poll for Crewe by-election

Tuesday May 20,2008

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Labour's Crewe and Nantwich by-election campaign has suffered a fresh blow with another opinion poll predicting the party will lose the seat to the Tories.

The ComRes poll for The Independent put the Conservatives on 48%, 13 points ahead and on course for a 14% swing and its first by-election gain for 25 years.

It also contained more bad news for Gordon Brown - with his own party supporters shown to consider him less of an electoral asset there than David Cameron for the Opposition.

Labour enjoyed a 7,780 majority in the constituency at the last election but the death of veteran MP Gwyneth Dunwoody opened the way for a close-fought battle.

The poll is the latest of a series to put the Tories far enough ahead to ensure the late MP's daughter Tamsin does not succeed her mother in the Commons.

Conducted between Thursday and Sunday, it put the Liberal Democrats on 12% and other parties on 5%.

It found 60% of voters in Crewe believed the under-fire Prime Minister was an electoral liability and just 13% thought his leadership helped the party's cause.

Opinion was even split among the party's own supporters, with 33% considering him an asset and 34% a liability.

More of them (37%) believed Mr Cameron was an asset to his party's chances and less (28%) viewed him as a liability.

The poll predicted turnout would be higher that the 60% at the last General Election with Tory voters more certain to get to the ballot box than those backing Labour of the Liberal Democrats (80% compared with 71% and 67%).

HOW DEEP?

20.05.08, 2:28pm

There is a quote attributed to well known ex Labour MP Denis Healey

"Healey's first law of politics: when youre in a hole stop digging"

For 11 long years no one has taken the shovels away from NuLabour. It now looks imminent that this will happen. The electorate have suddenly woken up.

.

• Posted by: GH130 • Report Comment

60% BELIEVE PRIME MINISTER IS ELECTORAL LIABILITY

20.05.08, 12:00pm

88% of voters wanted Gormless Brown to hold a referendum on the EU con- treaty but he ignored them Having ignored oublic opinion, 60% of voters now believe Gormless to be an electoral liability.

That is REALLY bad news for New Labour, and not just next Thursday night.

Good!

A Labour leadership contest is the last thing we want at the moment. Brown must stick around for a little longer.

• Posted by: Peter_Pan • Report Comment

AND JACQUI SMITH, JOINT MINISTER FOR KNEE JERK REACTIONS AND THE LTE CLOSING OF STABLE DOORS WAS SO CONFIDENT YESTERDAY

20.05.08, 9:06am

If this doesn't send a clear message to NuLab to get rid of Brown, then I don't know what will.

Better still, when they lose this seat, call an early election. The country needs it before it's too late.

• Posted by: Veltro205 • Report Comment