51% of Lib Dem voters want a Labour government

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

An new poll carried out by Conservative peer Lord Ashcroft has found that 51% of Lib Dem voters want a Labour government at the next election. The poll, which looked at Lib Dem voters in seats which elected Lib Dem MPs and potential Lib Dem supporters, also found that only 54% of those who voted Lib Dem in May expect to do so again.

This poll is the second Ashcroft poll in recent months to cause Nick Clegg real worries, after earlier polling suggested that Clegg could be at risk of losing his Sheffield Hallam seat – and that was before his pledge breaking on tuition fees.

The poll also found that nearly three times as many Lib Dem voters believe that the party has changed for the worst (44%) compared to just 14% who believe the party has changed for the better. Perhaps most damningly, on every policy area polled, a clear majority of Lib Dem voters believe that the party has made no difference to coalition policy, or has made things worse:

Tim Montgomerie at Conservative Home has crunched some of the numbers on this poll – you can read his take on the figures here.