Budget Backlash for Brown

The first significant opinion poll since the Budget shows Labour trailing the Conservatives by an enormous 18-points which will doubtless cause apoplexy among the Tory herd on pb.com tonight - best to stay away I would think.

The YouGov numbers are:

Conservative 45% (+4)
Labour 27% (-7)
Liberal Democrats 18% (+2)

An excellent poll for the Conservatives, albeit from a pollster that usually gives them high numbers. I suspect this is less to do with the Budget than with the fallout from the McBride affair from the previous week which damaged Labour across all polls by about the same amount.

The impact of the Budget will become apparent in the next few days though there does seem wide support for the 50% tax rate which might disappoint some of the Right who had thought the low-tax culture was inculcated in society. That said, £150k is well beyond most people's salaries.

The Liberal Democrats continue to improve and with even the normally poor YouGov showing 18%, there are signs of optimism for Nick Clegg.