Vince Cable preferred as Liberal Democrat leader amongst 2010 Liberal Democrat voters
Twice as many say they would be more likely to vote Liberal Democrat at the next election if business secretary, Vince Cable (12%) were leader of the Liberal Democrats rather than Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg (6%). However, neither appeals to the majority of voters; 67% say that it makes no difference to them whether Mr Cable or Mr Clegg leads the party, as they do not intend to vote Liberal Democrat anyway. This is according to the latest poll from Ipsos.
Amongst current Liberal Democrat voters, Mr Clegg (21%) and Mr Cable (19%) are on a level pegging. However, Mr Cable (29%) has a broader appeal than Mr Clegg (13%) amongst those who voted for the Liberal Democrats at the last general election in 2010.
The Ipsos poll also reveals:
- Mr Cable (15%) has broader support than Mr Clegg (4%) amongst those who say they would vote Labour;
- Neither Mr Clegg nor Mr Cable tempts Conservative voters; 83% say it would make no difference to how they vote as they would not vote Liberal Democrat anyway. Only 5% each say either Mr Cable or Mr Clegg could sway them.
Gideon Skinner, head of political research at Ipsos, said:
“Nick Clegg and Vince Cable are neck and neck among current Liberal Democrat voters – but 2010 Liberal Democrats are more tempted by Mr Cable. Neither though makes much difference to most voters.”
Technical Note
Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,006 adults aged 18+ across Great Britain. Interviews were conducted by telephone 15-17 September 2012. Data are weighted to match the profile of the population.
