Poll puts Labour ahead of Tories

A NEW ComRes poll has put Labour nine points ahead of the Conservatives as the effects of tax rises and public sector cuts begin to bite.

The poll of 1,002 people between 28 and 30 January put Labour on 43 per cent, up 3 percentage points, the Conservatives on 34 per cent, down 2, and the Lib Dems unchanged on 10 per cent.

Prime Minister David Cameron's decision-making ability also came under question, with more than 66 per cent of those surveyed saying that it was poor judgement for Mr Cameron to employ former News of the World editor Andy Coulson as his chief spin doctor despite phone hacking allegations from his previous career.