Snap Populus poll on the budget

The Times is reporting a snap Populus poll, which interviewed 500 or so people on Wednesday night. The sample obviously isn't large enough for accurate voting intention figures, but gives us the first

- rather mixed - signals of how the budget wasa received.

Most of the measures in the budget were supported. 65% supported the increase in the ISA limit, 58% supported the stamp duty holiday, 47% the scrappage scheme. 57% supported the new higher rate of 50% tax, with 22% opposed. The only specific measure to run into strong opposition was the increase in fuel duty, opposed by 68%.

Budgets, however, are more than the sum of their parts. Just because the tax changes in them are popular, doesn't mean the overall package is, or that they don't have a wider effect on how the government is perceived. So, while the 50% tax band was very popular, people were split on whether it was fair, and 53% agreed it was "the end of New Labour".

A positive sign for Labour was that Brown & Darling once again lead Cameron & Osborne on the economy. Rather more omnious for them though is that 58% agreed with David Cameron's attack on the government that "all Labour Governments end up ruining Britain's public finances by spending too much".

Something of a mixed bag there then, hopefully we will see the effect on actual voting intentions later tonight.