The firm smack of discipline shown by the Tory leader, Mr William Hague, when he sacked Lord Cranborne last week has resulted in an opinion poll boost for his party.
The Conservatives' ratings are up two points on last month to 29 per cent, according to an ICM poll for today's Guardian newspaper.
Labour, although down two points to 49 per cent, still commands a hefty lead. The Liberal Democrats are down one point on 16 per cent and the other parties are on 6 per cent, also down one point.
Tory voters back Mr Hague's decision by three to one (62 to 21). But Labour voters thought - by 43 to 35 per cent - that he was wrong to sack Lord Cranborne.
The poll found strong support among voters for the government's plan to sweep away the hereditary peers by some 58 to 25 per cent.
And, asked whether Mr Hague would be right to block the rest of the government's legislative programme in protest at abolishing the rights of hereditary peers, 49 per cent said No.
But voters are divided over what should replace the existing House of Lords.
A large minority (44 per cent) want a fully elected second chamber, but one in three voters want a mixed chamber of mainly elected peers with some appointees.
ICM interviewed a random sample of 1,123 adults aged 18 or over by telephone between December 4th and 7th.