BRITAIN:BRITISH PRIME minister Gordon Brown is winning the approval of the British public for his handling of the economic crisis, but he is still leading Labour towards defeat in the next general election.
That's the verdict of the latest ICM poll giving the Conservatives a 12-point lead over Labour and showing Conservative leader David Cameron still on course to win a 100-seat majority in a new House of Commons.
Ahead of official figures confirming that Britain is already in recession, 61 per cent of those surveyed said they believed Mr Brown was handling the current crisis well. However, only 13 per cent said Mr Brown's performance would make them more likely to vote Labour, while 27 per cent said they were less likely to do so and 60 per cent said it had made no real difference.
A number of recent polls have shown the Conservative lead down to nine or eight points amid speculation that Mr Brown might see an opportunity to call a general election next spring. While there may be a time lag between Mr Brown's improved personal ratings and support for Labour, however, ICM found the prime minister strengthening his party's core support while making little impact on opposition supporters, or those now backing other parties who supported Labour in 2005.
Shadow chancellor George Osborne, meanwhile, was battling questions about his judgment yesterday as he denied claims that he tried to solicit a £50,000 donation for the Conservative Party from Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska.
The claim was made by financier Nathaniel Rothschild in a letter to the Times. It was sparked by newspaper coverage about a possible conflict of interest arising from newly appointed business secretary Lord Mandelson's association with Mr Deripaska.
In his letter, Mr Rothschild said: "Since your paper - along with your sister publication the Sunday Times - has made much out of what may or may not have happened at a private gathering of my friends this summer in Corfu, I thought I should make the following observations.
"I am surprised that you focus on the fact that one of my guests, Peter Mandelson, is a friend of another, Oleg Deripaska.
"Not once in the acres of coverage did you mention that George Osborne, who also accepted my hospitality, found the opportunity of meeting with Mr Deripaska so good that he invited the Conservatives' fundraiser Andrew Feldman, who was staying nearby, to accompany him on to Mr Deripaska's boat to solicit a donation."
Mr Osborne said the allegations in Mr Rothschild's letter were "completely untrue". Both he and Mr Feldman denied absolutely attempting to solicit a donation from Mr Deripaska.