Confidence in Brown falls

This is not the story that we’re expecting to break tonight, but it’s worth noting anyway.  The Times have just released a Populus poll which shows that confidence in Gordon Brown’s ability combat the recession has dropped in the aftermath of the PBR.  In answer to the question of who is the best leader to “deal with Britain’s economy in recession”, 42 percent of respondents said Brown (down 10 percentage points from a poll in early November), while 36 percent said Cameron (up 4).  While the Tories shouldn’t exactly be ecstatic with a poll showing a Brown lead on the economy, this latest does suggest that the PBR may have shifted the impetus away from the PM.