But are the Labour succession details being held over?

The Times Populus survey for April is out this morning and shows that Labour is at its lowest ever level with the pollster. The only consolation for Blair-Brown is that the deficit behind the Tories has remained the same. The headline figures are with comparisons on last month: CON 37%(-1): LAB 29%(-1): LD 20% (+2).

There’s no sign in the report of responses to the named leader question – how people would vote if it was Brown’s Labour against Cameron’s Tories and Ming’s Lib Dems. My guess is that this is being held over until tomorrow when other key information about the Labour leadership will be published.

The Tories will be disappointed with their one point decline but the Lib Dems will be delighted by the increase in their support ahead of the May 3rd elections.

Alas – for the real meat from this survey we are probably going to have to wait a day. I cannot believe that at such a time as this no questions were asked that related to the Labour succession. It could have been that the paper wants to lead on what the pollster has found but decided to hold back because the US university massacre is dominating everything.

The poll is much later in the month than usual because of Easter. In the past very strange results have been found when polling has taken place over a holiday weekend and Populus decided to wait. Normally we get this survey after the first weekend of each month.

A “missing” Scottish poll?: A number of people on the site and Iain Dale have reported that the Glasgow Herald is holding back on a Scottish poll because it shows Labour so far behind. Maybe or maybe not. The pollster is reported to be the same one that had the party well ahead over Easter. The firm in the first survey, MRUK, is not listed as a member of the British Polling Council and does not have to follow the transparency rules like main-stream pollsters. Ignore.

Mike Smithson