James Forsyth James Forsyth

The danger of a Tory Brown bubble

The new Populus poll shows that 74 percent of the electorate thinks Gordon Brown is a bad Prime Minister. As Peter Riddell—not a man prone to over-statement—writes in The Times today, “The public have given up on Gordon Brown.”

This is, obviously, in one sense great news for the Tories. Running against an incumbent who is a busted flush during a recession is about as good as it gets for an opposition. But the extent of Brown’s unpopularity should cause the Tories the odd nervous moment.

Imagine for a second if Labour did get its act together and dump Brown. All of a sudden the 67 percent of voters who think it’s time for a change would have been offered something. The new Labour leader could try and present himself, or herself, as the change.

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