London: Britain is heading for a hung
parliament in nearly three and a half decades, with a new
opinion poll indicating that the opposition Conservative lead
over the ruling Labour has declined by 7 points.
The latest monthly Guardian/ICM poll, showed the
Conservatives holding only a seven-point lead, as Prime
Minister Gordon Brown is fending off potentially lethal claims
over his complex character, including suggestions that he
bullies staff.
The accusations, which surfaced in a book by the
Observer's political commentator sparked another day of
frantic political manoeuvring yesterday.
One of the Tory party's best known MPs, Ann
Widdecombe, quit as a patron of the National Bullying
Helpline, the charity which on Sunday sparked a storm at
Westminster when its founder, Christine Pratt, entered the
political fray, saying she had received four complaints of
bullying from No 10 staff.
Last night the charity was close to implosion as
other patrons also resigned, saying Pratt had acted
unethically.
Bureau Report
First Published: Tuesday, February 23, 2010, 18:45