62% believe Brown should concede defeat, poll finds

Almost two-thirds of voters think Gordon Brown should concede defeat in the General Election and clear the way for a new Prime Minister, according to a poll published today.

The YouGov survey for the Sunday Times found that 62% believe Mr Brown should have accepted defeat on Friday after it became clear that Labour was no longer the largest party in the House of Commons, against 28% who said he was right to hang on in case Conservatives and Liberal Democrats are unable to reach agreement on collaboration.

Some 48% of those questioned said the new government should be led by the Conservatives - either in a minority administration or at the head of a coalition - against 31% who preferred a Labour/Lib Dem alliance of some form.

The poll also showed strong support for a shift from first-past-the-post to a more proportional system of voting for Westminster elections.

Some 62% said they favoured a more proportional system, against just 13% who wanted to stick with the existing arrangements, which produced Thursday's inconclusive result.

In another survey, by OnePoll for The People newspaper, 59% wanted to ditch first-past-the-post and introduce PR, with 30% against.

:: YouGov interviewed 1,406 adults online for the Sunday Times. OnePoll questioned 3,000 adults for The People. Both polls were conducted on May 7 and 8 after the bulk of results of the election had been announced.