Feedback

The Live Wire

  • Kerry McCarthy | What’s going on

    • source icon
    • 19:06
    • Shot by both sides

  • Neil D | Well, somebody must like Blair

    • source icon
    • 18:57
    • Harry's Place

  • James Forsyth | The biggest threat to the coalition

    • source icon
    • 18:56
    • The Coffee House

  • Mark Easton (BBC News) | 'No health without good mental health'

    • source icon
    • 18:41
    • Mark Easton's UK

  • Toby Thomas | Coulson scandal: Read all about it! Or maybe not…

    • source icon
    • 18:30
    • Left Foot Forward

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

Top 5 Political Stories

  • 1
  • Office of Gordon and Sarah Brown set up
  • Expand panel
  • 2
  • Middle East peace talks begin
  • Expand panel
  • 3
  • Hague: I had to speak out
  • Expand panel
  • 4
  • 3,500 jobs to go at RBS
  • Expand panel
  • 5
  • Blair book fastest selling memoir ever
  • Expand panel

Other Top Stories

  • Pakistan cricketers out of England tour
  • Subscription Only
  • Expand panel
  • Ofgem investigates four energy firms
  • Subscription Only
  • Expand panel
  • IMF warns on UK finances
  • Subscription Only
  • Expand panel

New today

  • Oil rig explosion in Gulf of Mexico
  • Subscription Only
  • Expand panel
  • RMT: London tube strikes will go ahead
  • Subscription Only
  • Expand panel
  • Labour defends vote rules
  • Subscription Only
  • Expand panel
  • Scot alcohol minimum price 45p a unit
  • Subscription Only
  • Expand panel

New this morning

  • Attorney General requests Kelly files
  • Subscription Only
  • Expand panel
  • Adviser 'discussed phone hacking'
  • Subscription Only
  • Expand panel
  • D Miliband 'asked Blair not to back him'
  • Subscription Only
  • Expand panel
  • Darling: bonus supertax failed
  • Subscription Only
  • Expand panel
  • Hip replacements 'not quick enough'
  • Subscription Only
  • Expand panel
  • BP expects to 'plug leak for good'
  • Subscription Only
  • Expand panel
  • Community service 'holiday camp'
  • Subscription Only
  • Expand panel
  • Weight surgery 'postcode lottery'
  • Subscription Only
  • Expand panel
  • Gove hints failing primary schools will become academies
  • Subscription Only
  • Expand panel
  • British manufacturing slows
  • Subscription Only
  • Expand panel
  • Police complaint figures revealed
  • Subscription Only
  • Expand panel
  • Iran sentences two more to death by stoning
  • Subscription Only
  • Expand panel
  • NHS chiefs offered £130,000 to quit
  • Subscription Only
  • Expand panel
  • WikiLeaks rape investigation reopened
  • Subscription Only
  • Expand panel
  • Top universities 'should charge higher fees'
  • Subscription Only
  • Expand panel
  • BBC had 'massive bias to the left'
  • Subscription Only
  • Expand panel
  • House prices continue to fall
  • Subscription Only
  • Expand panel

MSM Catching up

  • Clegg issues Pakistan aid plea
  • Subscription Only
  • Expand panel
  • BBC staff back pensions strike
  • Subscription Only
  • Expand panel
PoliticsHome Polls

PoliticsHome Polls

Public opinion today

Wednesday 20th May 2009 | 13:18

Dramatic swing towards early election

A public consensus in favour of an immediate general election is rapidly developing

There has been a dramatic shift in public opinion towards holding an immediate general election following revelations about MPs expenses, the latest PoliticsHome research reveals. 

In just three weeks the trend has switched from a slight preference for a 2010 election, to voters being clearly in favour of a 2009 poll.

PoliticsHome is the only organisation to have conducted corresponding polls, three weeks apart, asking the public when they would prefer a general election.

Our results show forty eight percent of voters would now prefer an election as soon as possible, confirming the findings of a recent ITN/Populus poll which suggested that around half the electorate now favour an early election. 

This represents an increase in fourteen percent from our previous election date poll in late April. Only twenty six percent currently favour an election in Spring 2010, down from the thirty five percent who chose that date last month. The least popular date remains Autumn 2009.

The swing in favour of an election in June 2009 has taken place among supporters of all political parties. The latest results show most Conservative, Liberal Democrat and non-aligned supporters would like to cast their vote as soon as possible.

Only Labour party supporters favour a date in the Spring of next year, and the number with this preference is down eleven percent from the last survey, from sixty four per cent to fifty three per cent.

The greatest swing in favour of a June 2009 General Election was registered by non-aligned voters, a fifty two per cent majority of whom would now prefer this date.

PoliticsHome interviewed 1,197 adults by email between 28 - 29 April 2009 and 1,225 adults by email between 19 - 20 May 2009. Results are weighted by party ID to reflect the UK.

Leave a comment...

M Rees

Even when the whole country want an early general election Herr Brown is his bunker will still deny he has lost the argument, simply because long ago this man with a moral compass lost the plot

Duyfken
  • 12:09 |
  • 22 May 2009
  • 0

Surely June is not feasible or realistic. Presumably the months of July to September are ruled out because parliamentarians are enjoying their summer hols, so October seems the earliest practical time.  That would give breathing space for some measures of reform to be introduced in advance.

But I would plump for an August election, just so we can enjoy the spectacle of the candidates having to work through their summer recess, as an act of penance.

J Leslie Smith
  • 21:32 |
  • 22 May 2009
  • 0

Over the past 24 hours watching Newsnight and reading both the Telegraph, watching BBC News and reading political blogs, the Government would be well advised, once a new speaker is in place, authorised by secret ballot, there will be no choice left for Gordon Brown but to call an early Election, possibly by Autumn.  This "peaceful Revolution" by the British People, supported by our own Media will not allow the political present class back, unless we have our say first..  ie  A General Election

G. R. Mansfield
  • 17:47 |
  • 23 May 2009
  • 0

My wife & I would both support a General Election as soon as possible.

Bill Holden

I think that the election is likely to be in the Autum, Summer is not good due to the holiday season, people are away on holiday or doing more important things than trying to rescue their country. If the election is held in October then the electorate will not turn out due to the rain and of course it gets dark early. I cannot see us staggering on till next spring therefore I think early September will be the best time.

Sections

Search PoliticsHome

Download