LONDON - The British Labour Party is likely to win the key seat of Wirral south by a huge majority when the by election takes place on February 27th, according to an opinion poll published yesterday, writes Rachel Donnelly. If the poll is correct and the Tories lose the seat, it will put added pressure on the government to call an early general election.
The opinion poll, carried out by the Mail on Sunday, revealed that of 601 adults questioned in Wirral south, 54 per cent said they would vote Labour in the by election. Thirty five per cent said they would be voting Conservative, while 10 per cent said they would give their vote to the Liberal Democrats. Asked how they would vote in the general election, the results were almost identical.
However, a second opinion poll carried out by the Mail on Sunday, indicating the mood of "middle England" where the Tories rely on traditional support, found Mr Major's popularity had increased since April 1996. Thirty six per cent of those polled said he was the party leader who best represented their hopes and aspirations, compared to 34 per cent in April 1996. Twenty nine per cent said their choice was the leader of the Labour Party, Mr Tony Blair, compared to 32 per cent in April 1996.