How events are changing the public’s perceptions

The above chart is adapted from one produced by Anthony Wells for his latest report on the YouGov BrandIndex tracker. It is available in full form from his UK Polling report site here.

As we’ve featured before each day the pollster asks 625 people to give their positive and negative impressions of a list of leading politicians. The figures reflected in the chart are net ratings, based on a five-day rolling average and reflect the views of more than 3,000 people.

In April Brown’s net figure was minus 13. He got knocked a bit after his pro-Trident in June but his biggest fall followed the failed attempt to get Tony Blair out last week. He now stands at minus 32.

The Chancellor might have got a firmer commitment from the man he implausibly describes as his “friend”, Tony Blair, on the departure time-table but it has come at a big price to him in terms of his personal popularity.

Tony Blair, meanwhile, has had a small boost following last week’s departure statement and now, for the very first time, stands ahead of his Chancellor in the tracker.

John Reid saw a big boost after the terror arrests in early August but the affect has since diminished.

Alan Johnson has the best figures for any of the potential leadership candidates, but only 22% expressed any opinion at all about him. He still has a long way to go to increase his public profile.

Clearly these do go up and down but as I repeatedly say Gordon needs some good poll news if his succession is to be assured. In the betting he is currently at 0.44/1 – which is not tempting either way.

Mike Smithson