Labour would be doing better with Blair in charge

If Tony Blair were still Prime Minister Labour would be five—not sixteen—points behind the Conservatives, according to the latest YouGov poll. With Blair back at the helm, the Conservative vote falls to below 40 percent, while the Labour vote rises by six points.

More voters think that it is unlikely than likely that Brown will be Labour leader after the next election. There is, though, no clear successor; that modern-day Vicar of Bray, Jack Straw is the only Labour politician to break into double-figures when voters are asked who they would like it to be.

The finding that should really worry Brown, though, is that 61 percent  of voters blame his management of the economy for its current problems. As Matt argues, it is ironically the economy where the disconnect between Brown and the electorate is clearest.