Conservative Party Leadership Poll
MORI's exclusive survey for The Sun reveals that, among the general public, David Cameron is the clear favourite to lead the Conservative Party, and neither his age or education background are seen as barriers to him becoming Prime Minister.
The telephone poll of 508 adults, aged 18+, across Great Britain was conducted on 19 October 2005. A third of the public (33%) say that they would like to see David Cameron lead the Conservative Party (rising to 49% of Conservative supporters), well ahead of the 13% and 11% of the public who select David Davis or Liam Fox, respectively. The vast majority of the public do not think that "David Cameron is too young to be Prime Minister" (69%) and disagree that "the British would be reluctant to vote for a Prime Minister who was educated at Eton" (74%).
However, the poll also emphasises a key challenge facing the Conservative Party over the next few months and years -- the electorate believe it is more more important what policies the party has (80%) than who the party leader is (12%) when deciding whether or not to consider voting Conservative.
Topline Results
MORI interviewed 508 adults aged 18+ by telephone on 19 October 2005. Data are weighted to match the profile of the population.
Q1 Which one of the following politicians I am going to read out, if any, would you like to see lead the Conservative Party? Base: 508 British adults 18+
| 160 | % |
|---|---|
| David Cameron | 33 |
| David Davis | 13 |
| Liam Fox | 11 |
| None of these | 16 |
| Don't know | 27 |
Q2/4/6 If Gordon Brown were Leader of the Labour Party and David Cameron / David Davis / Liam Fox were Leader of the Conservative Party and Charles Kennedy Leader of the Liberal Democrat Party, would you vote Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat or for another party? IF UNDECIDED OR REFUSED AT Q2 Q3/5/7 Which party are you most inclined to support? Base: 508 British adults 18+
| 160 | Q2/3 David Cameron | Q4/5 David Davis | Q6/7 Liam Fox |
|---|---|---|---|
| 160 | % | % | % |
| Conservative | 36 | 33 | 31 |
| Labour | 39 | 40 | 41 |
| Liberal Democrats (Lib Dem) | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| Scottish / Welsh Nationalist | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Green Party | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| UK Independence Party | 1 | * | * |
| Other | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| 160 | |||
| Lab lead (177%) | +3 | +7 | +10 |
| 160 | |||
| Would not vote | 6 | 7 | 7 |
| Undecided | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Refused | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Q8 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? David Cameron is too young to be Prime Minister Base: 508 British adults 18+
| 160 | All | Conservative supporters | Labour supporters | Lib Dem supporters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 160 | % | % | % | % |
| Agree | 15 | 15 | 18 | 17 |
| Disagree | 69 | 79 | 64 | 74 |
| Don't know | 16 | 6 | 18 | 9 |
Q9 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? The British would be reluctant to vote for a Prime Minister who was educated at Eton Base: 508 British adults 18+
| 160 | All | Conservative supporters | Labour supporters | Lib Dem supporters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 160 | % | % | % | % |
| Agree | 15 | 10 | 24 | 13 |
| Disagree | 74 | 81 | 65 | 81 |
| Don't know | 11 | 9 | 11 | 6 |
Q10 Which is more important to you in deciding whether to consider voting for the Conservative Party -- the leader of the party or the policies the party promises to pursue? Base: 508 British adults 18+
| 160 | All | Conservative supporters | Labour supporters | Lib Dem supporters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 160 | % | % | % | % |
| Leader | 12 | 14 | 12 | 7 |
| Policies | 80 | 85 | 76 | 83 |
| Never consider voting Conservative | 5 | 0 | 9 | 6 |
| Don't know | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
Q11 Which party did you vote for at the General Election on May 5th 2005? If you are not sure or did not vote, please say so? Base: 508 British adults 18+
| 160 | % |
|---|---|
| Conservative | 23 |
| Labour | 29 |
| Liberal Democrats (Lib Dem) | 12 |
| Scottish / Welsh Nationalist | 2 |
| Green Party | 1 |
| UK Independence Party | 1 |
| Other | 1 |
| 160 | |
| Did not vote | 24 |
| Too young | 1 |
| Can't remember | 3 |
| Refused | 4 |
