Post conference boost for the Lib Dems
The YouGov monthly poll for the Telegraph is out (presumably a day later than usual because of the Telegraph devoting yesterday to the story of how their expenses story was leaked). The topline figures, with changes from Yougov's last poll CON 39%(-2), LAB 26%(-1), LDEM 20%(+3).
A nice little conference boost for the Liberal Democrats there, though it will likely to be cancelled out by equivalent boosts for Labour and the Conservatives over the next fortnight (unless something goes horribly wrong for either of them).
The commentariat of course almost universally dismissed the last week as a horrible car-crash of a Lib Dem conference - the reason the Lib Dems got a boost anyway is probably because the vast majority of people don't pay much attention to whether David Laws disagrees with this policy, or the policy committee would vote against that policy, or whether or not Vince Cable consulted his colleagues over the mansion tax. For the majority of the public the effect of the Lib Dem conference was probably no more than to remind them of the existence of the Lib Dems, and bring the mansion tax to their attention.
On other questions, the Telegraph is quite wrong to say that the poll shows the leaders of the parties are less popular than their parties based on the Best PM question, though it's a common mistake. The voting intention question is repercentaged to exclude won't votes and don't knows - best prime minister is not. The ICM poll this month actually had comparable questions showing whether the party leaders were more or less popular than their parties - Cameron is more popular than the Conservatives. Labour and the Lib Dems are more popular than Brown and Clegg.
