17 point Tory lead in latest ICM poll

There is a new ICM poll out in the Guardian here. Topline figures, with changes from the last ICM poll in late August, are CON 43%(+2), LAB 26%(+1), LDEM 19%(nc).

This equals the second highest Conservative lead recorded by ICM, but like most recent polls, shows very little real change (in fact the figures are identical to an ICM poll for the Sunday Mirror in mid-August).

The other questions paint a pretty sorry picture for Labour. Only 14% of people said they thought Labour were telling the truth about the financial situation, compared to 36% for the Tories and 32% for the Lib Dems. 60% of respondents now expect a Conservative victory at the next election, 17% a Labour victory.

Asked whether they have a favourable or unfavourable impression of the main parties and the party leaders Gordon Brown trails the party he leads, and both Labour and Brown lag a long way behind Cameron and the Conservatives.

28% of people have a positive impression of Gordon Brown, while 31% have a positive impression of Labour. In contrast David Cameron is more popular than his party - 48% of people have a positive impression of the Conservative party, but 52% have a positive impression of its leader. Nick Clegg and the Lib Dems have the biggest gulf between leader and party - 53% had a positive impression of the Lib Dems, but only 39% have one of Clegg - partially due to a much higher proportion of don't knows than the other two leaders.

ICM asked if people would prefer to see the national debt addressed by tax increases or reductions in the amount spent on public services. Interestingly this showed spending cuts only very narrowly ahead (47% to 45%), in contrast to other polls that have showed substantial majorities opting for cuts over tax hikes. The may be down to the specific wording of the questions - ICM asked about cuts "even if it affects those services you use".