Brown leads over Tories in new poll

A poll showing Gordon Brown is leading with a double figure over the Tories, has sparked speculation that a snap election may be called.

According to the YouGov survey, the new Prime Minister has surged to a ten-point advantage over the Conservatives, putting fresh pressure on David Cameron.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that the under-fire Tory leader is considering a proposal from former Cabinet minister John Redwood, for a radical £14bn package of cuts in red tape and regulation.

It is thought the PM's management over a series of crises - including the recent foot and mouth outbreak, floods and terror attacks - has helped him pick up his advantage in the opinion poll, with Labour leading with 42 per cent over the Opposition at 32 per cent.

Reflected in actual voting across the country, the ten-point lead would mean Mr Brown adding around 100 to the 66-seat majority he inherited.

Brown's recent appointment of a new director of election resources, has given weight to suggestions that he could move to call an early general election.

Some commentators have suggested a poll could come as soon as October while others predict a spring election.

But another poll revealed that a majority of 40 per cent thought that the PM should wait until next year to present himself to the vote, compared to 30 per cent who thought he should call an election immediately.

YouGov found 65 per cent of voters believed Mr Brown was doing well - with just 17 per cent saying he was doing badly and 36 per cent expressed pleasant surprise at how he had performed so far.

The figures were in stark comparison to the majority of 55 per cent who believed Mr Cameron was performing poorly, with 29 per cent saying he was doing well - an almost complete turn around of his score in April.

The Liberal Democrats picked up 18 per cent of the vote.

YouGov interviewed a representative sample of 1,966 voters, online and across Britain.

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