UK PM Brown's Ratings Fall In Polls -AFP
LONDON (AFP)--U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown saw his poll ratings plummet Friday as confidence in his government's competence crumbled over its handling of recent crises.
Brown - who trumpets his achievements during his 10 years as finance minister - saw his reputation and his governing Labour Party slump in two separate polls.
Two recent crises - one involving the bailout of Northern Rock (NRK.LN), the U.K.'s fifth-biggest mortgage lender, and the other the loss of nearly half the population's personal data in the post - appear to have dented the reputation of Brown's government.
A YouGov poll for Channel 4 television put the main opposition Conservatives in one of their best positions since they lost their own reputation for economic competence in the Black Wednesday crash of 1992.
A Populus survey in The Times newspaper showed the proportion of voters confident in Brown and his finance minister Alistair Darling's ability to handle economic problems had more than halved from 61% to 28% since early September.
Asked whether Labour were competent and capable, 26% said yes, down 30% in three months; 28% said Labour had a good team of leaders, down 30 percent; 20% said they "share my values", down 24 percent; while 28% said they were a united party, down 25%.
"This poll points the way to a fundamental change in Britain's political preference," The Times said in its editorial.
The daily said the "astonishing loss of confidential data" had dealt "a hammer blow to their reputation.
"The extent to which this event has deflated confidence in Gordon Brown and his administration across the board is striking.
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