Voters are not warming to coalition government and would prefer either the Conservatives or Labour to win an overall majority in 2015, according to a ComRes survey for The Independent.
It shows that Labour's lead over the Conservatives has halved to three points in the past month, its smallest lead in a ComRes poll since October last year. Labour is on 37 per cent (up one point since last month); the Tories on 34 per cent (up four points); the UK Independence Party 12 per cent (down two points); the Liberal Democrats 10 per cent (unchanged) and other parties 8 per cent (down one point).
Although these figures would give Ed Miliband a majority of 32 at a general election, the revival in Tory fortunes will worry Labour MPs.
Asked whether Britain is better off with a coalition than it would have been if the Conservatives or Labour had won the last election outright, only 29 per cent agreed and 57 per cent disagreed. Six in 10 Lib Dem voters believe the country (60 per cent) is better off with a coalition but almost two-thirds (64 per cent) of Tory voters disagree.
Support for coalition has not improved since the same question was asked in January 2011, when 32 per cent believed the nation was better off with a coalition and 58 per cent disagreed.
Three in four people (73 per cent) would now prefer one party to win an outright majority in 2015 rather than have another coalition, while 19 per cent disagree. Surprisingly, even a majority of Lib Dem voters (53 per cent) would prefer one party to win an overall majority, while 40 per cent would not. A big majority of Labour (82 per cent) and Conservative (79 per cent) would rather see one party win outright.
In the event of a hung parliament after the next election, a majority of Lib Dem voters (53 per cent) would prefer to see their party go into coalition with Labour rather the Conservatives, while 39 per cent disagree. The public as a whole appear more opposed to a second Lib-Con coalition than to a Lib-Lab one. Women (45 per cent) are more likely than men (37 per cent) to prefer the Lib Dems to enter a coalition with Labour.
ComRes interviewed 1,001 GB adults by telephone between 25 -27 July 2013. Data were weighted to be demographically representative of all GB adults. Data were also weighted by past vote recall. ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.
