Conservatives still way ahead after British party conferences

London – British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s governing Labour Party is still way behind in the opinion polls after the party conference season, surveys out Saturday showed.

A YouGov poll for The Sun newspaper and a BPIX survey in the Daily Mail newspaper both put the main opposition Conservatives on 42 percent, Labour on 28 percent and the Liberal Democrats on 18 percent.

Asked which party had the best proposals for sorting out the economy, 37 percent said the Conservatives, 21 percent said Labour and nine percent said the Liberal Democrats, BPIX found.

The Sun — which recently switched its support from Labour to the Conservatives — said the centre-right party’s lead would be enough to give them a very comfortable 100-seat majority in parliament’s lower House of Commons.

BPIX found that 58 percent thought there should be a referendum on whether Britain should stay in the European Union, with 25 percent against the idea.

The Conservatives have pledged to hold a referendum on the EU’s reforming Treaty of Lisbon if it is still being negotiated if and when they take office, with a general election due by June.

BPIX found that 42 percent wanted a referendum regardless of whether the treaty was in force or not, with 30 percent against holding one.

YouGov found that 39 percent would vote against the treaty, with 19 percent in favour, 32 percent undecided and 10 percent abstaining.

The Conservatives closed the major party conference season on Thursday, when leader David Cameron made his keynote address.

YouGov interviewed 2,161 adults on Thursday and Friday, after Cameron made his speech.

BPIX surveyed 2,215 adults online Thursday and Friday, following Cameron’s address.

AFP/Expatica