Poll: 26% Satisfied with Tony Blair

independent: Gordon Brown has stepped up the pressure on Tony Blair to honour his promise to give his successor "ample time" to settle in by agreeing a firm date when he will stand down.

The trial of strength came as Mr Blair's personal approval rating slumped to the lowest level for a Labour leader in modern times. A YouGov poll for The Daily Telegraph last night found just 26 per cent of voters were satisfied with the Prime Minister's performance, lower even than the 27 per cent rating for Harold Wilson in May 1968 after the devaluation crisis. The poll put the Conservatives on 37 per cent, Labour on 31 and the Liberal Democrats on 17. A Populus poll in yesterday's Times showed Labour support at a 14-year low, tumbling to 30 per cent, against 38 per cent for the Tories.

Labour MPs said that the Chancellor had finally gained the upper hand over when Mr Blair should depart. They claimed the Prime Minister was shaken by strong demands for him to reveal his departure timetable when he addressed the Parliamentary Labour Party on Monday. Read more