BRITS PROVE BAILOUTS DANGEROUS TO THOSE IN POWER

Andrew Grice, Independent, UK - From bounce to backlash. The Conservative Party lead over Labour at the opinion polls has rocketed from five to 15 points in one month, with voters turning against Gordon Brown as the recession bites.

The ComRes survey for The Independent puts the Tories on 43 per cent (up four points on last month), Labour on 28 per cent (down six), the Liberal Democrats on 16 per cent (unchanged) and other parties on 13 per cent (up two). The research shows Labour at its lowest standing since September's survey; the party has slumped back to where it stood before Mr Brown won international plaudits for the Government's rescue of the banks last autumn. . .

And people are sceptical about whether the Government's measures to combat the recession will work. Only a third (33 per cent) believe it has put in place the right solutions, 58 per cent do not. . . Forty-nine per cent of people doubt whether the Government's attempts to solve the banking crisis will work. The reservations are shared across the political spectrum: by a margin of 48 to 43 per cent, Labour voters do not believe in the measures on the banks. The Tories have regained the lead in every age group and enjoy a 40 per cent-plus rating in every social group.