Advantage Cameron | 27 August 2007

David Cameron will surely be relieved by the finding in today’s Guardian/ICM poll that Gordon Brown’s lead has narrowed already to five points. But the much more significant figures are the Tories’ leads on crime and health. Turn to this morning’s Daily Mail, where a survey conducted for Hillary Benn’s Environment Department shows that crime and health are now the voters’ main priorities. Last week, Mr Cameron finally found his voice on law and order, matching his concern for the causes of crime with a new, unambiguous commitment to robust punishment of offenders. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister persists with his mantra that “education is my passion, health is my priority”. To translate: if Labour doesn’t reclaim the issue which defined its appeal after the foundation of the NHS, it is in big trouble. The early part of the summer was rotten for Mr Cameron, but, in every sense of the phrase, things are hotting up now.