UKIP popularity decreases as Tories draw equal with Labour

A Guardian/ICM telephone poll has revealed that Conservative Party support has increased by 7%, leaving the Conservatives neck and neck with the Labour Party as both sit at 36%.

The poll confirms that last month’s increase in the UK Independence Party’s (UKIP) support during the local council elections was largely a protest vote against the traditional political parties.  However, UKIP will hope to capitalise again on Eurosceptic sentiment during the European Parliament elections in June 2014.

The Guardian/ICM poll also contained a clear warning to the Conservative party, as two-thirds of those asked were sceptical that the national deficit can be cut after the next election without raising taxes, as promised by the Chancellor last week.

The poll reflects that no single party has been able to mantain a sustainable lead, causing observers to believe that the next general election will not produce a party with a clear majority. 

However, David Miliband,  Labour leader Ed Miliband’s brother, warned against such assertions, stating that the British public may move decisively in favour of one of the main parties, adding that there was still a “great danger” that they would vote for the Conservatives.

The shares of the vote currently stand with the Conservatives and Labour at 36%, the Liberal Democrats at 13%, UKIP at 7% and all other parties at 8%. ICM Research interviewed a sample of 1,003 people to gain the results.

Peter Winnicki