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Where are Ed Miliband, Nigel Farage and David Cameron in the latest opinion polls?

With just under two weeks to go until the General Election, things are still too close to call

Jochan Embley
Wednesday 22 April 2015 09:08 EDT
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(Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

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It is set to be one of the tightest elections in history, with neither Labour nor the Tories able to break clear in the opinion polls.

But where are the parties in the polls – and how popular are their leaders?

How the three parties compare

Labour were significantly higher than the Conservatives in terms of public opinion for a long time – around three years.

The gap began to tighten in the second half of last year and, in the last two months, the two parties have been constantly grappling for the lead.

Labour leader Ed Miliband at the launch of his party’s Manifesto for Young People at Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln
Labour leader Ed Miliband at the launch of his party’s Manifesto for Young People at Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln (Reuters)

According to May2015.com’s poll of polls, there’s currently less than a percentage point between them, with the Tories on 33.7 per cent and Labour just behind, with 33.5 per cent.

From about this time last year, Ukip have firmly established themselves as the third most popular party, benefiting from the Liberal Democrats’ severe loss of public confidence.

Ukip’s third place berth has fluctuated around 15 per cent.

How their leaders compare

Ed Miliband’s ratings have been notoriously low – much worse than his party’s – but that is changing.

Since the beginning of the televised election interviews and debates, the general public’s opinion of the Labour leader has, by most accounts, improved – how much so is up for debate.

Most polls still have Miliband hovering around the -20 per cent mark (a stark improvement over this time three or four months ago, when he was nearer -40 per cent in some approval ratings) and only Survation report that the Labour leader has ventured into the positives.

By most polls, David Cameron is the most popular candidate for Prime Minister.

David Cameron on the campaign trail
David Cameron on the campaign trail (AFP/Getty Images)

Generally, his popularity has crept up from about -10 per cent at the beginning of the year to closer towards zero, with Survation giving him an approval rating of nearer 10 per cent.

In fact, Ipsos-Mori are the only pollsters who believe the public opinion of Cameron has worsened since the beginning of the year, albeit just marginally.

Nigel Farage was once one of the few party leaders enjoying a largely positive approval rating, although this plummeted over the second half of last year.

Things aren’t quite as drastic for the Ukip leader now, although he does appear to be experiencing a steady decline in popularity, with his rating falling from around 5 per cent to closer to zero and the negatives.

Ukip leader Nigel Farage waits to speak at a public meeting in Cliftonville, Kent, as he continues his campaign for the South Thanet seat at the General Election
Ukip leader Nigel Farage waits to speak at a public meeting in Cliftonville, Kent, as he continues his campaign for the South Thanet seat at the General Election (Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)

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