A by-election poll boost for the Tories

Oh dear. Rather than buy votes, Gordon Brown’s £2.7bn unfunded tax cut has doubled the Tory lead in Crewe & Nantwich according to an ICM poll of the constituency for the News of the World tomorrow. Tories on 45% against Labour’s 37%, suggesting a Tory majority of about 1,000 – and a 12% swing. The under-35s have turned against Brown the harshest, with 56% of them saying they will vote Tory. Some 24% say the tax bribe has made them more likely to vote against Labour and just 4% say they are more likely to vote Labour as a result. As a general rule, 4% is about the share of a Western country believing that Elvis is still alive. Brown has taxed us so much that a £250 rebate (at most) would never be that welcomed. As I say in my News of the World column tomorrow, if a thief steals your wallet and returns your library card you don’t thank him.