Brown 'doomed even if economy recovers'

Gordon Brown's hopes of winning the next general election on the back of an economic recovery suffered a blow today.

Two out of three voters believe that, even if the economic slowdown is reversed, there are other reasons why it is time for change, according to a new poll.

The finding will disappoint many Labour MPs who have been clinging to the belief that if the economy picks up, so will their party's fortunes.

The Populus survey for The Times showed 67 per cent of voters, including 36 who support Labour, agree that "even if the economic situation improves dramatically over the next year or two, there are many other reasons why it is time for a change."

Mr Brown's personal ratings as Prime Minister are also dismal, with 74 per cent of people believing he is a bad one, and just 23 saying he is good.
Working class voters and men are the groups where he is losing most support.

But, interestingly, his reputation as Chancellor has gone up, with 60 per cent now saying he was good in this post, compared to 53 per cent 18 months ago.

The poll also found that both Mr Brown and Tory leader David Cameron are seen as shifting away from the political centre ground.

The Prime Minister is now perceived by voters to be to the Left of the Liberal Democrats, and to have moved sharply in that direction.

Mr Cameron is viewed as having gone to the Right, though less dramatically, but to be further than Mr Brown from the centre ground.

Tony Blair, who led Labour to three general election victories, was almost on the centre point - slightly to the Right.

Meanwhile, a leading Labour MP warned that Mr Cameron, who features on the front of the latest edition of Time magazine, is connecting with many non-Tory voters by championing social change including in work-life balance and on the environment.

Dagenham MP Jon Cruddas, who stood for the Labour deputy leadership, also stressed that his party was hampering its own fight against the Conservative revival.

In a pamphlet, Mr Cruddas and academic Jonathan Rutherford, argue, according to The Guardian, that "by jettisoning the language of ethical socialism, (Labour) has lost its capacity to match Cameron's pro-social rhetoric and usurp his claim to value politics."

The publication adds: "It has become a politics without sympathy, unable to engage with everyday life. In contrast, Cameron's ethical language of social life has resonated amongst many who in the past would never have considered voting for the economic liberalism of Thatcherism."

Skills Minister and Tottenham MP David Lammy is quoted as saying: "Cameron has touched a nerve, reflecting a big gap in our political narrative."