Popularity
Gordon Brown hopes 23 Bills will boost his popularity as poll lead slips
Gordon Brown will try to recapture the political initiative today with his first legislative programme, as a poll for The Times shows that Labour’s standing has returned to where it was when he became Prime Minister.
The Populus poll, undertaken over the weekend, also shows a big drop in Mr Brown’s standing. The number of people believing that he has what it takes to be a good Prime Minister has dropped five points to 49 per cent in a month and is ten points below its midsummer peak. The number who believe that he is likeable is down nine points to 44 per cent since late July.
The poll shows that support for both Labour and the Tories has fallen over the past month, while the Liberal Democrats have gained from the attention surrounding the contest to succeed Sir Menzies Campbell as party leader.
The two main parties are neck-and-neck. Labour is now on 37 per cent, down three points over the month, with the Conservatives two points down at 36 per cent. The Lib Dems are four points up at 16 per cent.
Mr Brown’s image has been seriously damaged by the on-off election saga of the party conference season. He still has the edge over David Cameron on measures of leader image, including being favoured as Prime Minister, but the gap has narrowed sharply. Optimism that his Government will “really get to grips with the most important issues facing Britain” has halved to 39 per cent since July.
Mr Brown will announce Bills on immigration today, setting out a points-based system for workers coming to the UK, and counter-terrorism, in which he will try to increase the 28-day limit for detention of suspects.
But the Prime Minister, who has already announced a draft programme of 23 Bills before today’s State Opening, is pinning his hopes of a return to his pre-autumn lead over the Conservatives on measures to help the young by tackling teenage unemployment and providing more affordable homes.
After the Queen formally opens the new session of parliament, Mr Brown will devote most of his Commons speech to a “positive message”, aides say, highlighting measures on education, housing and the health service as his priorities.The Queen’s speech is expected to include two housing Bills to help to deliver three million new homes by 2020.
Plans to fast-track the building of nuclear installations, motorways and airports are also expected to be confirmed. Environmental groups, rural campaigners and several Labour MPs have expressed concern about the proposed independent commission that is to decide where big infrastructure projects will be sited.
The planning Bill will also allow small residential and commercial extensions to go ahead without planning permission and allow more supermarkets on the edge of towns.
Ministers are expected to announce that more than 50 councils have already bid for money to build “zerocarbon eco-towns”. The bids are for the first ten eco-towns, each with 5,000 to 20,000 homes.
Schools and colleges will be encouraged to start A-level, diploma and vocational training courses in January, as well as September, under plans, to be announced in the Queen’s Speech, to raise the education leaving age.
Ed Balls, the Children, Schools and Families Secretary, said that the education and training system needed to become more flexible to ensure that those who drop out are re-entered for new courses quickly.
Mr Balls also insisted that teenage mothers will not be exempt from the new law. Local authorities will be expected to help older teenagers to return to education after the birth in the same way that they now help mothers under 16 to return to school.
An unclaimed assets Bill will seek to reunite owners with their deposits in dormant bank accounts or see the proceeds go to charity.
— Populus interviewed a random sample of 1,503 adults aged over 18 by telephone between November 2 and 4. Interviews were conducted across the country and the results have been weighted to be representative of all adults. For more details go to www.populus.co.uk
(Published by Times Online, November 6, 2007)
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