New poll cuts Labour lead to three points

The Conservative election campaign was give a massive boost today with a new poll showing that Labour's lead has been cut to three points.

An ICM survey for The Guardian puts Labour on 37 per cent, the Tories on 34 per cent and the Liberal Democrats on 21 per cent.

According to the poll, Labour has lost four points since December as the Conservative campaign appears to gather momentum.

With the election expected to be called in six weeks, the poll is likely to raise new questions about Alan Milburn's handling of the Labour campaign.

Labour's drop in support comes days after Tony Blair effectively launched his party's campaign with a whistle-stop tour of five cities, the unveiling of the latest pledge card and major speech at the spring conference.

The Prime Minister talked about rekindling his "marriage" with voters. The poll suggests that Mr Blair's appeal is confined to core Labour voters.

Instead, Gordon Brown has replaced Mr Blair as Labour's biggest electoral asset. The Chancellor is the only senior Labour politician to receive positive ratings from the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives. By contrast with Labour, support for the Conservatives has jumped by three points in the last month.

The findings will delight Michael Howard as evidence that his policies on immigration, council tax and law and order are beginning to strike a chord with voters.

Since Christmas the Tories have refocused their campaign, dropping the Timetable for Action slogan in favour of "Are you thinking what we're thinking?"

The poll also shows the Opposition leader's personal ratings have improved. Nearly 50 per cent of voters see Mr Howard as an asset to his party, only 35 per cent as a liability.