Times/Populus: Lab 40 Con 31 LD 21 (Lab lead 9%)
NOP/Independent: Lab 37 Con 32 LD 21 (Lab lead 5%)
Mori/FT: Lab 40 Con 32 LD 21 (Lab lead 8%)
All three polls out today show a strong Labour lead, with the other parties making little or no progress in the first weeks of campaigning. As ever, though, the supplementary questions are just as interesting. While Tony Blair's female vote seems to be holding up, Michael Howard is much more popular among men than women (Populus).
The Mori poll has a sobering message for the PM. Asked whether - and when - Tony Blair should step down after the next election, 56% said he should resign during the next parliament. Of those, almost half (49%) said he should step down immediately after the election, with only 9% saying he ought to stay longer than three years. Voters who want Gordon Brown evidently don't expect to wait.
