Over a quarter of voters change allegiance over MP Expenses |

Sunday 17th May 2009 | 11:25

Over a quarter of voters change allegiance over MP Expenses

UKIP main beneficiary from disaffected voters as 27% say they have changed their voting intentions on June 4th.

In a result that brings home the political effects of the ongoing scandal about MP's expenses, over a quarter of voters say they have changed their voting plans for June 4th.

PoliticsHome interviewed 1,140 adults across the UK by email on 14th-15th May, and asked them "Have the revelations about MPs' expenses changed the way you intend to vote in the forthcoming European elections, or have they made no difference?" Although 63% say the story has made no difference, a substantial 27% of voters say they now plan to vote differently. 10% were not sure.

Analysing the results by party affiliation, there is striking party across the parties - further evidence that this scandal has affected supporters of all the major parties.

Those respondents who said it had affected their plans were then asked a follow up question: "If so, which party is likely to benefit from your vote?" UKIP is set to be the main beneficiary, gaining the support of 28% of disaffected voters. The BNP is second at 16% followed closely by the Green Party at 15%.

If so, which party is likely to benefit from your vote?

Cameron leading the way on expenses

In a boost for the Conservatives, a strong majority of the general public think that David Cameron's response to the crisis has been the best. 57% of respondents thought the Tory leader had performed best in these unusual circumstances, with both Gordon Brown and Nick Clegg receiving only 11% each. 22% did not know.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, this included 92% of Conservative supporters - but more significantly, larger numbers of both Liberal Democrat and Labour supporters think David Cameron has performed best than their own party leader. 32% of Labour supporters chose David Cameron, and only 31% chose Gordon Brown. meanwhile 43% of Liberal Democrat supporters chose Cameron over 41% who chose Nick Clegg.

In your opinion, which leader has handled the expenses scandal the best?

PoliticsHome interviewed 1,140 UK adults by email on 14th-15th May 2009, the results have been weighted by party ID to reflect the UK at large.

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