Ashcroft polling gives Farage a reason to smile
NIGEL Farage’s Ukip party could pose the greatest threat to David Cameron’s hopes of a Conservative victory in the 2015 general election, according to a new poll.
Thirty-seven per cent of those who voted Conservative in 2010 said they would not do so again if there was an election tomorrow. Half of these voters, dubbed “defectors” by pollster Lord Ashcroft, would switch their support to Farage’s Ukip. The research found that just six per cent were considering voting for the party for the first time, with around 23 per cent pledging continued support.
The latest research from the former deputy chairman of the Tory party polled more than 8,000 people on their voting intentions in 2015 and highlighted the uphill struggle facing Cameron’s party.
“Showing convincingly that there is a better life to be had under the Tories will be hard,” Ashcroft wrote in a blogpost accompanying the research.
“It needs to be clearer what would be on offer under a new Conservative government. It is one thing to say don’t turn back, but we also need to know where we’re going,” he added. There was some hope for David Cameron though, as 57 per cent said they trusted the Prime Minister and George Osborne with the economy.