Yet another poll battering for Brown

Does the latest YouGov poll for the Telegraph have the Tories 19 or 20 points ahead of Labour?  The reported numbers have the Tories on 46 percent, Labour on 26 percent and the Lib Dems on 16 percent - so a 20 point lead for Cameron & Co.  But, writing in the Telegraph, both Andrew Porter and Anthony King talk about a 19 point lead.

Not that the discrepancy matters.  Either way, the figures show that the Tories have solidified the 20-ish point lead that they've enjoyed over Labour recently - and that despite a fizzling out of the leadership speculation surrouding Brown.  Indeed, the Tories have now had a double-digit lead over Labour for six consecutive months - their best performance since the early 1980s.

All of which is bad news for the Government.  But, as with many recent polls, the real sting for Brown is in the below-headline figures.  Only 19 percent of respondents thought he would make the best Prime Minister, and only 18 percent are happy with the Government's record.  And with 44 percent saying that they won't vote Labour whatever the contents of the forthcoming economic recovery plan, Brown's avenues for escape are looking fewer and more difficult by the day.