The Tory lead over Labour has narrowed to just 5% as Gordon Brown benefits from his handling of the global financial crisis, according to a poll.
The Tory lead over Labour has narrowed to just 5% as Gordon Brown benefits from his handling of the global financial crisis, according to a poll.
Research by YouGov for the Sunday Times showed David Cameron's advantage at its lowest this year, despite the UK heading for recession.
The Prime Minister and Chancellor Alistair Darling were more trusted to deal with the economic situation than Mr Cameron and George Osborne, by a margin of 36% to 25% And the change in the parties' standings was mirrored by a distinct improvement in Mr Brown's personal performance ratings.
His net score has gone up by 22% over the past month and 41% since September - although it remains in negative territory at minus 12.
Meanwhile, Mr Cameron's rating has fallen 17 points from its peak, but remains positive at plus 20.
Overall, the Tories were down two points on 41%, while Labour was up three on 36% and the Lib Dems unchanged on 14%.
Despite the apparent "Brown Bounce", there was still widespread gloom about Britain's economic prospects.
Nearly two in five people feared they or a member of their close family will lose their job as a result of the downturn, and 53% said they intended to spend less this Christmas compared with last.
Some 87% said the economy was doing badly, while 77% believed the country would either not grow or go into recession in the coming year.
There is also little optimism that the Bank of England's dramatic 1.5% cut in interest rates earlier this month will make a difference.
More than half, 51%, said it would not affect their spending, while 19% said it would hurt them and 16% said they would increase their savings. Only 6% said they would spend more as a result.
However, there was support for tax cuts in the forthcoming Pre-Budget Report - which have been strongly hinted at by the Prime Minister.
More than a third said they favoured only tax cuts, while 19% wanted tax cuts and extra public spending. A further 6% said they wanted just an increase in spending.
:: YouGov interviewed 2,080 people online on November 13-14 There was better news for the Tories in a poll for the Independent on Sunday.
The research by ComRes found they had stretched their lead by three points to 11% over the past month.
The Conservatives were on 43%, while Labour was up a point on 31% and the Lib Dems were down 4% on 12%.
However, there were signs that people accepted the current economic problems were being caused by international factors.
Some 37% said Mr Brown should take "most of the blame" for rising unemployment, but 57% disagreed.
Just under half of those questioned thought Mr Cameron's team were "lightweight", compared to 35% who did not.
The PM will also be able to take a little heart from replies over whether Labour was doomed to lose the next general election.
In July 68% believed its defeat was inevitable, but the latest poll found that had dropped to 54%.
The proportion convinced Labour still had a chance was 35%, up from 22% over the same period.
There was better news for the Tories in a poll for the Independent on Sunday.
The research by ComRes found they had stretched their lead by three points to 11% over the past month.
The Conservatives were on 43%, while Labour was up a point on 31% and the Lib Dems were down 4% on 12%.
However, there were signs that people accepted the current economic problems were being caused by international factors.
Some 37% said Mr Brown should take "most of the blame" for rising unemployment, but 57% disagreed.
Just under half of those questioned thought Mr Cameron's team were "lightweight", compared with 35% who did not.
The PM will also be able to take a little heart from replies over whether Labour was doomed to lose the next general election.
In July 68% believed its defeat was inevitable, but the latest poll found that had dropped to 54%.
The proportion convinced Labour still had a chance was 35%, up from 22% over the same period.
