Polling boost for Chancellor’s wider role

The first voting intention poll on how Brown would do against Cameron for two months is out today and shows that Labour and the Tories would be level-pegging on 38% each with the Lib Dems on 13%

Unlike last week’s ICM survey in the News of the World and the Sunday Times YouGov poll three weeks ago today’s poll asked a specific voting intention question taking account of the Lib Dems and other parties.

The reporting of the two earlier polls right across the media was a disgrace and showed up the inadequacies of a number of political journalists who should not be allowed anywhere near a story that involves numbers

Today’s internet-based BPIX poll, in the Mail on Sunday, does not appear to be available online. It is good news for Gordon Brown who has been taking on a wider role in recent weeks – well beyond just being Chancellor.

This is the first survey testing voting intentions with Brown as the Labour leader since Cameron was elected where the Tories do not have a lead.

The standard voting intentions in the BPIX poll, with changes from their last poll in January, are CON 39%(+1): LAB 37%(-1): LD 16%(nc).

I have a problem with BPIX which does not appear to be listed as a member of the British Polling Council. After their last three polls I have requested the full datasets but have received no response.

Mike Smithson