YouGov/Sun - CON 34%, LAB 42%, LDEM 8%

Tonight's YouGov poll for the Sun has topline figures of CON 34%, LAB 42%, LDEM 8%. The eight point lead is the lowest Labour lead for a week from YouGov, but it's well within the normal margin of error for the ten point leads that YouGov have been typically showing since the budget and cash4access story.

Also out today was some new polling for Lord Ashcroft (which I assume was conducted by Populus, certainly the cross-breaks match Populus's house style). This has topline figures, with changes from Populus's poll a week ago, of CON 32%(-2), LAB 41%(+3), LDEM 11%(nc), Others 16%(nc), producing a nine point lead for Labour.

Ashcroft also reasked the Populus party image questions from a week ago, finding some sharp drops in perceptions of the party. The proportion who thought the Conservatives were "honest and principled" was down 6 points to 27%, "competent and capable" down 9 points to 37%, "for ordinary people, not just the better off" down 8 to 23%, "has clear ideas" down 7 points to 37% and "has a good team of leaders" was down 9 points to 37%.

Slightly more surprisingly most of Labour's ratings were also down - including a 7 point drop in the people who think they have a good team of leaders and the proportion who think they are united. They also fell on being honest, competent and having clear ideas. Perhaps the people who responded to the survey were just a more cynical lot than Populus's sample a week ago, or perhaps stories about party funding just re-inforce negative perceptions of all parties.