Britons want Cameron as PM

LONDON – Britain’s opposition Conservatives have strengthened their lead over the governing Labour Party by a percentage point since last month, a poll showed yesterday.

The YouGov survey published in The Sunday Times showed that the Conservatives of the young and charismatic David Cameron had 38% support from voters, compared to 32% for Labour. The boost comes before Cameron speaks at his party’s spring conference.The survey also showed that the gap would be even wider if, as expected, finance minister Gordon Brown succeeds Prime Minister Tony Blair who has pledged to step down by September.About 41% of those surveyed would vote for Cameron, and just 31% for Brown, the chancellor of the exchequer.More than half believed Brown would do badly if he becomes leader, while 31% were positive about his prospects.However, Cameron did not do much better as 43% feared he would perform badly as prime minister, compared to 37% who thought he would do well.With the budget imminent, the Conservatives also enjoyed the trust of voters on economic competence.Asked who they most believed to raise their standard of living, 36% said the Conservatives, against 29% for Labour.Nearly two thirds agreed with the statement that Brown had “raised taxes in a sneaky way and I don’t really trust him.”And just under two-thirds held the view that much of the government’s extra investment in public services had been wasted.Nampa-SapaThe boost comes before Cameron speaks at his party’s spring conference.The survey also showed that the gap would be even wider if, as expected, finance minister Gordon Brown succeeds Prime Minister Tony Blair who has pledged to step down by September.About 41% of those surveyed would vote for Cameron, and just 31% for Brown, the chancellor of the exchequer.More than half believed Brown would do badly if he becomes leader, while 31% were positive about his prospects.However, Cameron did not do much better as 43% feared he would perform badly as prime minister, compared to 37% who thought he would do well.With the budget imminent, the Conservatives also enjoyed the trust of voters on economic competence.Asked who they most believed to raise their standard of living, 36% said the Conservatives, against 29% for Labour.Nearly two thirds agreed with the statement that Brown had “raised taxes in a sneaky way and I don’t really trust him.”And just under two-thirds held the view that much of the government’s extra investment in public services had been wasted.Nampa-Sapa