Confidence in Gordon Brown has slumped to a new low after a poll revealed that only 18% of business leaders have faith in the prime minister, sliding from 30% last October.
The monthly poll conducted by ComRes showed that confidence among businessmen in the chancellor was even lower – only 9% of the 220 polled said they have confidence in the ability of Alistair Darling.
In contrast, the ratings of Tories David Cameron and shadow chancellor George Osborne have improved dramatically – almost 70% of business leaders claimed to have faith in the Conservative party leader and over 50% have confidence in Osborne.
The spiralling economic downturn may have damaged the labour party’s reputation among the business community. The ComRes survey found that 76% of respondents thought that the Conservatives “best for business”, while a mere 16% cited Labour and 5% the Liberal Democrats.
In a further blow, only 15% said they believed chancellor Alistair Darling understands business, while 73% think he is out of his depth.
Asked about the credit crunch, almost half of business leaders think that it will have a modest impact on their company and 28% said they expect it to have a severe effect. Of those polled only 24% said they had taken no steps to protect themselves against the effects of the adverse economic climate.
© Crimson Business Ltd. 2008
