The New Nation - Internet Edition

Reuters, London

Britain's ruling Labour Party fell to its lowest-ever poll rating in a survey published on Friday, a week after big losses in local elections cast doubt on the leadership of Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

The YouGov poll conducted earlier this week and published in the Sun tabloid put Labour on 23 percent with the opposition Conservative Party on a 49 percent-enough for it to win a landslide if national elections were held now. Labour's showing was the worst since opinion polls were first published in the 1930s.

Brown, whose popularity has plummeted since he took over from Tony Blair last June, does not have to call a national election until mid-2010. The media and the opposition accused him of dithering when he contemplated calling a snap election last October, before finally deciding against it.