Advertisement

Tories 'neck and neck' with Labour after Budget

The Tories are neck and neck with Labour after a post-budget poll bounce, prompting senior figures to urge Ed Miliband to sharpen his policies and stop speaking like a “Hampstead academic”.

Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne poses outside 11 Downing Street with the Budget box, London Credit: PA

Today’s YouGov poll for The Sunday Times (£) puts the Conservatives on 36%, just one point behind the opposition, the smallest margin in five months, with chancellor George Osborne’s personal approval ratings surging.

Positive reaction to last week’s budget has helped the Tories force down Labour’s lead and has raised the party’s hopes it could even win an outright majority.

Read: Osborne: Budget for 'makers, doers and savers'

UKIP comes in third in the poll with 11%, and the Liberal Democrats on 9%.