Conservatives Boosted After Labour Leadership Challenge

Opinion polls suggest the failed attempt to replace Gordon Brown as leader has cost the Labour Party public support
Conservatives Boosted After Labour Leadership Challenge
Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown dismissed the call from ex-cabinet ministers Patricia Hewitt and Geoff Hoon for a secret ballot of Labour MPs over his leadership as a 'storm in a teacup'. David Bebber/WPAPool/Getty Images
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<a><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/GordonBrown95628018.jpg" alt="Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown dismissed the call from ex-cabinet ministers Patricia Hewitt and Geoff Hoon for a secret ballot of Labour MPs over his leadership as a 'storm in a teacup'.  (David Bebber/WPAPool/Getty Images)" title="Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown dismissed the call from ex-cabinet ministers Patricia Hewitt and Geoff Hoon for a secret ballot of Labour MPs over his leadership as a 'storm in a teacup'.  (David Bebber/WPAPool/Getty Images)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-1824123"/></a>
Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown dismissed the call from ex-cabinet ministers Patricia Hewitt and Geoff Hoon for a secret ballot of Labour MPs over his leadership as a 'storm in a teacup'.  (David Bebber/WPAPool/Getty Images)
LONDON—Public confidence in the Labour Party has weakened following the failed attempt to remove Gordon Brown as leader in the run-up to this year’s General Election, according to an opinion poll.

The YouGov poll in Friday’s Sun newspaper said 67 per cent of the 2,832 people polled had either no confidence or less confidence in the Labour Party after Wednesday’s coup attempt.

An earlier Sun poll conducted on Tuesday up to 10 a.m. on Wednesday showed 31 per cent support for Labour. This fell to 30 per cent following the proposal of a secret ballot on the prime minister’s leadership by two former cabinet ministers, which failed to garner support from senior Labour MPs.

Support for the Conservatives had risen from 40 per cent to 42 per cent, which would give the Conservatives a 74-seat margin if the poll reflects the voting pattern, the newspaper said.

The earlier Sun poll of 4,167 people found that 58 per cent would not change their vote if Labour had a new leader; 19 per cent would be more likely to vote Labour if Gordon Brown was replaced; and 14 per cent would be more likely to vote Labour if he stayed.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband would be the most likely to win Labour votes as the next leader should Gordon Brown resign, with 8 per cent naming him in the poll. Seventy-nine per cent said it would make no difference who the next leader was, or did not know who would make them vote Labour, said the newspaper.