Blair hit by loss of trust - poll

Britain's main opposition leader has become the first to achieve the same popularity rating as Tony Blair since Mr Blair became Labour Party leader almost 10 years ago, according to an opinion poll published yesterday.

Some 29 per cent of voters now think Conservative Party leader Michael Howard would make the best prime minister, the same rating as Prime Minister Blair, the YouGov poll for the Daily Telegraph newspaper showed.

Six months after he took over from Iain Duncan Smith, Mr Howard has become the first Conservative leader to match Mr Blair's rating, the Telegraph said.

The Conservatives have been ahead of Mr Blair's ruling Labour Party for several months. In yesterday's poll, some 39 per cent said they would vote Conservative, while 35 per cent would vote Labour.

The poll suggests Mr Blair is no longer the huge electoral asset he once was for the Labour Party. Many voters see him as untrustworthy and many of his personal ratings have turned negative.

The poll comes after a turbulent few weeks for Mr Blair, whose popularity has suffered in the wake of the Iraq war. He has faced criticism for making a U-turn to grant a referendum on the European Union constitution and over problems with Britain's immigration system.

Mr Blair was given a -39 per cent rating on trustworthiness, compared to the +37 per cent he polled in 1997. He was also seen as uncaring, indecisive, ineffective and a poor listener. However, he was given a +17 per cent rating for likeability.

Some 63 per cent of respondents said they disapproved of the government's record to date, while just 25 per cent approved. And 68 per cent said they did not think that on balance the government had been honest and trustworthy.

Some 34 per cent thought the Conservatives would be best able to steer Britain out of economic difficulties, compared to 31 per cent for Labour.

Mr Blair launched his party's campaign yesterday for local council and European parliament elections next month. The ballots are seen as a good gauge of public opinion ahead of a general election expected in 2005.

YouGov questioned 2,026 voters across Britain between April 27 and 29 for the poll.