LABOUR AND TORIES BOTH SLIPPING IN POLLS AS MINOR PARTIES GAIN

10.21.29am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 3rd May 2006

There were two polls of local election voting intention published in the weekend papers. An ICM poll for the Sunday Express shows the Tories and Labour both struggling, with voting intentions of Con 29%, Lab 27% and Lib Dems 22%. The figures also show a rise in support for the smaller parties, with the Greens at 6%, the BNP at 4% and UKIP at 3%. A BPIX poll (also of local election voting intentions) for the Daily Mail offers better news for the Tories, showing figures of Con 35%, Lab 26%, Lib Dem 23%. BPIX also asked a general election voting intention question with the topline figures at Con 35%, Lab 32%, Lib Dems 19%. Similar figures in the Times (YouGov) have the Tories 35% (-3), Labour 32% (-3), Lib Dem 18% (-1) A poll of polls based on the weighted average of surveys published in April, put support for the Lib Dems at 22% (+3), Labour at 33% (-4) and the Tories also at 33% (-2). This was the third monthly fall in succession for the Tories.

Congleton West Borough Candidate, Eleanor Key commented:

"David Cameron's party stumbled badly in its first major election test in the Dunfermline by-election, when they finished fourth whilst the Lib Dems took the seat from Labour. Whilst support for the Tories has been dropping every month this year, it has been rising for the Liberal Democrats. Locally we saw the November by-election where our Simon Davey took the seat from the Tories. We have seen him do much more than any Tory councillor has ever done in the seat. It's the Lib Dems who are the real alternative to both Labour and the Tories."