By KUNA,
London : Labour could be heading to defeat in a crucial by-election in 10 days’ time, according to an opinion poll Sunday.
The ICM survey for The Mail on Sunday newspaper carried out in the Crewe and Nantwich constituency, northern England, puts the opposition Conservatives at 43 percent, four points ahead of Labour at 39 percent, with the Liberal Democrats trailing at 16 percent.
According to the paper, the figures represent a 10 percent swing since the last general election and would turn Labour’s 7,078 majority into a Conservative majority of well over 1,000.
Worryingly for Labour, the party would fare even worse in a general election with 49 percent saying that they would vote Conservative in a national poll, as against 33 percent for Labour and 15 percent for the Liberal Democrats.
Labour has suffered a series of setbacks in the recent local elections in England and Wales.
In addition, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s popularity slumped dramatically in recent opinion polls.