Labour narrows Tories' poll lead

Labour has narrowed the Tories' lead to eight points, according to a new poll.

The YouGov survey for the Daily Mirror puts the Conservatives on 42 per cent, Labour on 34 per cent and the Liberal Democrats on 14 per cent.

It is further evidence that Gordon Brown has improved Labour's fortunes with a well-received speech to the party's annual conference and his response to the financial crisis.

The poll also found that 62 per cent of voters felt Mr Brown had handled the financial turmoil well compared to 34 per cent who said he had done badly.

Some 40 per cent backed him and Chancellor Alistair Darling to handle the economy, 28 per cent preferring Tory counterparts David Cameron and George Osborne.

During the summer, the Tories stretched ahead in the polls by up to 23 points as the Prime Minister's leadership came under scrutiny.

But today's YouGov poll is the second in as many days to suggest the Conservatives have seen their lead to shrink to single digits.

A ComRes survey for the Independent on Sunday suggested the Tories' lead had shrunk from 12 points to nine in the past month.

It put the Conservatives on 40 per cent, Labour on 31 per cent and the Liberal Democrats on 16 per cent.

If repeated at the ballot box, the polls' findings would not prevent Tory leader Mr Cameron winning the next general election.

But they will give heart to Labour MPs praying for a recovery between now and May 2010, the latest Mr Brown can hold the next general election.

YouGov interviewed 2,029 people for the survey between October 15 and October 17.