Good news for the Tories: a new ComRes poll confirms that David Cameron and George Osborne are the most trusted pair to ‘see the country through the current economic situation’. As the chart above shows, Labour’s two Eds are lagging significantly behind the present Tory leadership in the trust stakes, even coming in below Ukip’s Nigel Farage.
These numbers reinforce the Conservatives’ strategy of talking up the economy (instead of say immigration) as the key to winning the next election. As Rachel Sylvester said in her Times column (£), the favourite phrase of Tory strategist Jim Messina is to say that ‘every day spent talking about Ukip issues such as Europe and immigration is a wasted day for the Conservatives, while every day spent talking about the economy is an opportunity.’
The poll also says that 29 per cent of voters think the economy will get better with the Conservatives win the next election, compared to 18 percent for Labour.
Ahead of tomorrow’s Autumn Statement, voters are also split on what should happen next. Roughly a third of those polled agree that tax cuts should be a priority for Osborne, compared to another third who disagree. 41 per cent also say the government can not afford to give tax cuts right now.
But the news is not all good for the Conservatives. As Fraser pointed out yesterday, the government has not done particularly well on tackling the deficit. The public are not fooled either — just over half disagree that the coalition government has the budget deficit ‘under control’.
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