Who's The Pretty Boy Then?

As a matter of fact, David Cameron, at least that's what the recent Ipsos poll in the Sun reported, even if he's seen as the best of a bad bunch.

The Opposition leader gets a better press than he does satisfaction ratings. Our latest findings showed the percentage of people saying that they are satisfied with the way he is doing his job as Leader of the Opposition at just 28%, while those saying they are dissatisfied has risen, as the 'don't knows' fall, to 33%.

Trying to unpick party and leader preference to check on the standing of the parties against leaders, we've asked four-way leader/party questions of Cameron, Blair and Brown, and while Cameron himself comes out comparatively well v. Blair and Brown, it is clear from these findings, published recently in the Sun, that the Conservative Party is still very unpopular with the British public. Only 29% of the electorate say they like the Tories, while four people in ten say they like the Labour Party.

The incumbent Prime Minister has certainly dug himself into a hole; only a third of the country say they like him, 34%, made up of the one in four, 23%, who say they like both Blair and the Labour Party, and another one in ten, 11%, who say they like Blair, even if they dislike his Party. While more people say they like the Labour Party than the Tories, more people like Cameron than Blair, so while Cameron leads his party ratings, Blair lags his.

There has been much speculation about whether Gordon Brown, the likely unchallenged successor to Number Ten, will be a bonus or a drag on Labour's chances at the next election, which I expect unlikely to be held before 9 June 2009. My response, or rather that of the British public, is that fewer people say they dislike Gordon than dislike Tony, 49% saying they dislike Brown but 55% antipathetic to Blair.

Sir Robert Worcester, a CIPR gold medal winner, is Founder of MORI