Labour most likeable political party, but Miliband trails other leaders

Labour is the most liked political party, according to a new poll. Ipsos MORI research shows that 52% of people like the Labour Party, 12 points more than the next most liked party, the Liberal Democrats. 36% say they like the Green Party, 33% like the Conservatives, and only 25% like UKIP. While UKIP are the least liked, they are also the most disliked party: 64% say they actively dislike the anti-EU outfit.

However, the leader’s personal ratings differ wildly. David Cameron is more popular than his party, with 39% saying they like him. 31% like Nick Clegg, a drop from his party’s ratings. 31% say Nigel Farage is likeable and the least liked leader is Natalie Bennett, on 26%.

The bad news for Labour is that only 30% like Ed Miliband, giving him the largest gulf of any leader behind their party. The news among Labour supporters is not much better – only 49% say they like Miliband, while 47% dislike him. Compare that to Tory supporters, of whom 80% view David Cameron positively.

42% of those saying they will vote Labour in May admit they may change their mind before polling day, showing that the party’s support is not as solid as the Tories’ (35%) but more solid than the Lib Dems (51%). The NHS remains the most important election topic for voters.

Gideon Skinner, head of political research at Ipsos MORI, said that the new figures show how it is the image of the Labour Party that gives Miliband a chance of winning the election:

“It’s Labour’s party brand that is underpinning its vote, even among its own supporters, not the image of its leader.

“Meanwhile, the Conservatives have the opposite problem — one barrier stopping their good economic ratings feeding into votes is simply that the party is even more disliked than it was going into 2010.”

The last Ipsos MORI poll of voting intention gave the Conservatives 33%, the same amount as say they liked the party here, while Labour polled 34%, 18 points behind the new research.