Poll suggests Lib Dems could win Northampton North

11.16.22pm GMT Mon 31st Jan 2005

Last year's Council by-election in Spencer saw Lib Dems just 58 votes behind Labour

Andrew Simpson Lib Dem candidate for Northampton North has welcomed a recent poll that would put Lib Dem support on 37% if people thought they could win locally. "After the 2003 council elections we topped the poll and got 46% of the vote in the constituency. It is my job to show people how close it really is here" said Andrew "Already we have shown that in Northampton if people vote Liberal Democrat they will get Liberal Democrats, and in greater numbers than ever before. We have been the Real Opposition to Labour through this Parliament, and when the general election comes we are the real threat to Labour in Northampton North".

The new poll finds the Lib Dems could nearly double their support if voters thought they could win in their area. The poll was conducted by Communicate Research for The Independent, for whom John Rentoul writes: "Although 20 per cent of voters say they currently intend to vote for Charles Kennedy's party, 37 per cent of those surveyed agreed with the statement: "I would vote for the Liberal Democrats if they had a realistic chance of winning in my constituency". Those who say they would make the switch to the Liberal Democrats include 29 per cent of Labour supporters, 19 per cent of Conservatives and one-third of those backing other parties. If people voted along these lines in winnable constituencies, Mr Kennedy would become Prime Minister with a majority of 126 over Labour, and the Conservatives would be reduced to a rump of 56 seats."