Ed Miliband’s leadership is boosted by the ComRes online poll for The Independent on Sunday tomorrow, shared with the Sunday Mirror, in which Labour holds a four-point lead over the Conservatives.
Lab 34% (0)
Con 30% (-1)
UKIP 19% (0)
Lib Dem 8% (+1)
Green 3% (-1)
(Change since last month’s poll in brackets.)
Cameron vs Miliband
The Labour leader also scores better than David Cameron on standing up for working people (29 per cent to 22 per cent). The Prime Minister is seen as more likely to cut public services deeply (50 per cent to 24 per cent). And more people say Miliband was right to give money to the person begging in the street (38 per cent) than wrong (29 per cent).
Only 20 per cent of the public say they can imagine Ed Miliband as prime minister (down 5 points since November last year). But more people than last year (37 per cent, up 3) think “the fact that David Cameron went to Eton makes it harder for him to be a good prime minister for the whole country”, although 40 per cent (down 5) still disagree.
Who should play which leader?
Ed Miliband should be played by Rowan Atkinson in a film, according to 27% of the British public.
Rowan Atkinson (21%) was also the most popular choice to play Nigel Farage, with Alan Rickman (13%) the next most popular.
David Cameron should be played by Hugh Grant (18%) or Colin Firth (17%).
Nick Clegg should be played by the same two actors, Hugh Grant (17%) or Colin Firth (12%).
Findings in detail
Actors as Leaders
Which of the following actors do you think would be best to play each Party leader in a film?
|
David Cameron
|
Ed Miliband
|
Nick Clegg
|
Nigel Farage
|
|
|
Benedict Cumberbatch
|
7%
|
6%
|
8%
|
5%
|
|
Rowan Atkinson
|
5%
|
27%
|
8%
|
21%
|
|
Colin Firth
|
17%
|
5%
|
12%
|
4%
|
|
Daniel Craig
|
5%
|
4%
|
5%
|
4%
|
|
Sean Bean
|
3%
|
5%
|
6%
|
8%
|
|
Hugh Grant
|
18%
|
9%
|
17%
|
5%
|
|
Alan Rickman
|
4%
|
5%
|
5%
|
13%
|
|
Hugh Bonneville
|
11%
|
3%
|
5%
|
5%
|
|
None
|
29%
|
36%
|
34%
|
35%
|
Colin Firth (25%) is the Conservatives’ most popular choice to play David Cameron while Labour voters are more likely to say Hugh Grant would be best, as do UKIP voters (20% and 22% choosing Grant respectively).
Conservatives and UKIP voters are more likely than others to think their leader should be played by Daniel Craig.
10% of Conservatives think Daniel Craig would be best to play David Cameron.
8% of UKIP voters think the James Bond actor would be best to play Nigel Farage.
Two in five Conservatives (41%) and UKIP voters (39%) think Rowan Atkinson would be best to play Ed Miliband in a film, compared to just 14% of Labour voters.
Around one in ten Labour voters think High Grant (12%) and Colin Firth (11%) should play their leader.
Sean Bean is UKIP voters most popular choice to play Nigel Farage (14%), closely followed by Alan Rickman (13%).
Leaders
Do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?
|
Agree
|
Disagree
|
Don’t know
|
|
|
I can imagine Ed Miliband as Prime Minister
|
20%
(-5)
|
59%
(+6)
|
21%
(-1)
|
|
The fact that David Cameron went to Eton makes it harder for him to be a good prime minister for the whole country
|
37%
(+3)
|
40%
(-5)
|
22%
(+1)
|
|
I trust David Cameron to stand up for working people
|
22%
|
59%
|
19%
|
|
I trust Ed Miliband to stand up for working people
|
29%
|
47%
|
24%
|
(Change since November 2013 in brackets.)
Half (50%) of Labour voters say they can imagine Ed Miliband as Prime Minister, compared to just 7% of Conservatives and UKIP voters. However, a quarter (24%) of Liberal Democrats can see the Labour leader as Prime Minister. This does represent a fall of 9 points in a year among Labour voters.
David Cameron is more trusted to stand up for working people by those in higher social grades. Around a quarter of ABs (27%) and C1s (26%) trust the Prime Minister on this issue. Ed Miliband however, is equally trusted across the social grades.
Just 16% of UKIP voters trust David Cameron to stand up for working people, though just 12% trust Ed Miliband.
Ed Miliband and begging
|
Agree
|
Disagree
|
Don’t know
|
|
|
Ed Miliband did the right thing by giving money to the person begging in the street
|
38%
|
32%
|
30%
|
|
Ed Miliband did the wrong thing by giving money to the person begging in the street
|
29%
|
42%
|
29%
|
Young people are more likely than older Britons to think Ed Miliband did the right thing by giving money to the person begging in the street. Two in five (42%) 18-34 year olds say he was right compared to 33% of those aged 65+.
Men (35%) are more likely than women (24%) to say he was wrong to give money.
More Conservatives and UKIP supporters believe he was “wrong” to give money to the person begging (43% and 45% respectively) than “right” (28% and 25%).
Cuts to public services
|
Agree
|
Disagree
|
Don’t know
|
|
|
David Cameron will make deep cuts to public services including the NHS and schools if he is Prime Minister after the next General Election
|
50%
|
20%
|
30%
|
|
Ed Miliband will make deep cuts to public services including the NHS and schools if he is Prime Minister after the next General Election
|
24%
|
36%
|
40%
|
While one in five (22%) Conservative voters agree that David Cameron will make deep cuts to public services if he remains Prime Minister next year, just 9% of Labour voters think their leader would.
However, three quarters (74%) of Labour voters expect David Cameron to make deep cuts.
UKIP
UKIP, on 19 per cent, continues at the highest level of support recorded by any polling company except Survation. ComRes has made a change to its methods this month:
“We have decided to include UKIP as a prompted option in both our telephone and online polling, alongside the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat parties. The rise in support for UKIP means that it has outpolled the (prompted) Liberal Democrats in every ComRes poll since February 2013. In our continuing drive for accuracy, we constantly review our methodology and test it. Last month we published an experiment using a split sample (prompted and unprompted). We have also analysed other data, as a result of which we have adjusted weights and filters based on past voting behaviour, party identification and current voting intention. We will continue to review our methodology regularly.”
Methodology
ComRes interviewed 2,000 GB adults online between 12 and 14 November 2014. Data were weighted to be demographically representative of all GB adults. Data were also weighted by past vote recall. ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. Full tables at ComRes.
Eagle Eye 