The British Conservative Party's stop-start process to pick a candidate to run for London Mayor has affected Mr William Hague's popularity, particularly among party supporters, the Times newspaper said yesterday.
But the Prime Minister, Mr Blair, has had a jump in his ratings, according to a poll conducted for the Times by MORI.
Mr Hague's performance was considered unsatisfactory by 54 per cent of the 1,967 people polled, with only 24 per cent saying they were satisfied. The numbers compare to a balance of 47 per cent and 28 per cent a month ago.
More tellingly, Mr Hague's ratings dropped among Conservative supporters. Half were dissatisfied and 36 per cent satisfied, compared to 42 per cent and 44 per cent last month.
"His rating is worse than that of any opposition leader since Neil Kinnock in late 1988 and Michael Foot in 1982-1983," the Times said.
Mr Blair saw his rating improve for the third month in a row, the Times said. Fifty-seven per cent of those polled said Mr Blair was doing a satisfactory job as Labour leader, with 35 per cent dissatisfied. The numbers were 54 per cent and 36 per cent last month.
In sharp contrast to Mr Hague, Mr Blair enjoys huge popularity among Labour supporters. Mr Blair's 86 per cent satisfaction rating was his highest since May 1998.
On the party level, the Conservatives saw a 3 per cent month-on-month percentage jump in their popularity to 28 per cent, but remained trapped in the range they have maintained for the past two years. Mr Hague yesterday acknowledged his party "had a lot of work to do", in the wake of the poll.
Meanwhile, the man who had been described as the godfather of punk, Mr Malcolm McLaren, is to join the race for Mayor of London with a radical manifesto including legalised brothels.
The mastermind of the Sex Pistols will enter the fray with a pledge to rid London of its "cappuccino bar culture", replacing it with a programme to decriminalise cannabis and sell alcohol in libraries.