Saturday 1 September 2007

Cameron's collapse continuing?

Other polls have not given Labour so generous a lead as Yougov. Unsurprisingly, a private Populus poll for the Tories puts them level-pegging. A Mori poll for the Sun gives Labour a five point lead (and still puts the party above 40%). And Peter Bradley, who lost his seat in 2005, strikes a timely cautionary note on the Progress website. But what is so interesting about the Yougov figures is not so much the Labour lead, which is a few points more than Mori, but the extent to which Brown is leading Cameron as 'best PM' and on a number of key issues. And the fact that his people are celebrating being only one point behind the party of power for the last ten years. Moreover, if Cameron plays to his party's current strengths - on law and order, and asylum - he can only do so at the expense of his previous strategy. It may appeal to the Mail's leader writers. But shifting back to the right would be fatal for him. Brown seems unlikely to call an election this year, despite the excitement on Tory websites, but he has Cameron right where he wants him.

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