One of the hopes among the Tories is that David Cameron’s promise of an EU referendum, like his “veto” of the EU fiscal compact in December 2011, will win the party a poll bounce. This is not just because it could persuade those eurosceptic voters who currently support Ukip or who “don’t know” how they’d vote to back the Conservatives but also because it could lead swing voters to view Cameron as a strong and decisive leader.
However, the first YouGov poll since the Prime Minister’s speech, the fieldwork for which was conducted between 5pm on Tuesday and 5pm yesterday, shows no sign of an early boost for the Tories. Instead, support for Labour has risen by two points to 43 per cent, while the Tories are unchanged on 31 per cent. We will, of course, need to wait until the weekend polls for a clear picture of what effect, if any, Cameron’s speech has had on the Conservatives’ standing.
But given how well trailed the speech was and the favourable coverage it received yesterday morning from Fleet Street, there will be some Tories disappointed that there has been no early shift in support. However, as I explained yesterday, it would not be surprising if Cameron’s speech failed to move the polls. At present, just six per cent of voters regard the EU as one of the most “important issues” facing Britain. The news of Cameron’s referendum pledge was only the tenth most-read story on the BBC website yesterday. To win the next election, the Tories need to talk about growth, jobs, public services and crime – the issues that actually matter to most people. Now let’s see what the numbers look like after the weekend.
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