More soon on this Populus/ Times opinion poll.
10.25pm: Another opinion poll suggests the ‘Brown bounce’ continues but it is more modest than many Tory strategists feared. Populus put Brown’s Labour Party ahead by 3%. The fieldwork was carried out from 29th June to 1st July.
77% regard Gordon Brown as strong compared to 43% who regard David Cameron as strong. 57% say that Mr Brown has what it takes to be Prime Minister compared to 37% who say the same of Gordon Brown.
10.30am update on 3 July: This from today’s Times:
"The initial public response to the Brown Government is pretty positive, with 82 per cent being hopeful that Mr Brown’s team “will really get to grips with the most important issues facing Britain”. There is, however, an even split (42 to 42 per cent) on whether Mr Brown has “succeeded in bringing freshness and a sense of change and renewal to the Labour Government”.
Mr Brown’s decision to include outsiders as Lords ministers to show that he is creating “a government of all the talents” is seen as improving the way Britain is governed by 46 per cent, making it worse by 7 per cent, and no difference by 40 per cent.
A third (35 per cent) say that it will help to restore voters’ confidence in politics, 9 per cent damage it and 49 per cent make no difference."