David Cameron’s personal polling is at its highest level in four years despite a difficult week for the Tory leader in which he was accused of being too soft on rich tax avoiders, including his party donors.
According to an Opinium/Observer poll, the prime minister is approved of by 41% of the voting population and disapproved of by 42%.
This contrasts with the Labour leader Ed Miliband, whose personal position with the electorate continues to look weak. Only 23% approve of Miliband’s leadership while 52% disapprove.
Despite Cameron’s personal advantage, Labour continue to be ahead by two points.
Labour stand on 35%, the Conservatives on 33% and the Liberal Democrats are on 8%. Ukip is on 14% and the Greens are on 6%.
The poll also found that only 27% of all voters said they would or might change their preferred party before May.
Ukip’s Nigel Farage, formerly the most popular of the party leaders, but who has been less in the public eye in recent weeks, now trails Cameron with 27% approving of his leadership and 48% disapproving.
Cameron’s improved personal standing comes despite facing a potentially toxic combination of allegations of tax evasion by clients of the HSBC bank, whose chairman became a Tory minister, tax avoidance by party donors and leaked details of a secretive “black and white” fundraising ball.
Opinium Research carried out an online survey of 1,969 UK adults aged 18+ from 10 to 12 February 2015.
Results have been weighted to nationally representative criteria. Full tables and results are available here.
