Tory lead wiped out as Labour draws level

The Conservative Party's 15-month lead in the opinion polls has already been wiped out by Gordon Brown, according to the latest "poll of polls" for The Independent.

It shows that Labour has drawn level with the Tories, who had been ahead since last April. The weighted average of the five main opinion surveys taken in June shows Labour on 36 per cent, up three points on the previous month, with the Tories unchanged on 36 per cent and the Liberal Democrats down one point to 17 per cent.

Related articles

• Maude and Willetts lose out in Cameron's reshuffle
• Steve Richards: The quiet radicalism of Gordon Brown
• Search the news archive for more stories

If repeated at a general election, Labour would enjoy an overall majority of 20, winning 335 seats, while the Tories would win 245 seats, the Liberal Democrats 41 and other parties 29.

The apparent slide in the Tories' fortunes will add to the pressure on David Cameron, who is being urged by right-wingers to adopt a traditionalist agenda. This March, the Tories were eight points ahead of Labour in the "poll of polls".

Labour had already started to close the gap after Tony Blair confirmed his departure date and before Mr Brown took over.

John Curtice, professor of politics at Strathclyde University, who compiled the "poll of polls", said there may be a further increase in Labour's ratings this month. But said the two surveys after Mr Brown became Prime Minister may simply reflect a short-term reaction to his appointment.