Most voters think Osborne lacks judgment to be Chancellor

Only one in six voters (16 per cent) thinks George Osborne has the judgment necessary to be Chancellor of the Exchequer, and almost one in three (31 per cent) thinks he should resign from the Conservative frontbench, according to a poll released today.

The survey for BBC2's Daily Politics was conducted in the wake of the publication of claims - denied by the shadow chancellor - that Mr Osborne sought an illegal donation during a visit to a Russian billionaire's yacht.

Just one in five of those questioned (21 per cent) thought Lord Mandelson, who also met Oleg Deripaska on his yacht off Corfu this summer, has the judgment to be Business Secretary, against 39 per cent who said he does not.

Some 43 per cent said they thought Prime Minister Gordon Brown was wrong to bring Lord Mandelson back into Government, against 21 per cent who thought he was right.

Asked if they thought Mr Osborne has the judgment necessary to be a future Chancellor, some 16 per cent agreed and 35 per cent disagreed.

And 31 per cent agreed with the statement that "George Osborne has lost the public's confidence and should resign" against 23% who disagreed.

* Pollsters ComRes spoke to 1,011 voters on 22 and 23 October.