Best start to an election year for Charles Kennedy's Liberal Democrats

11.29.00pm GMT Fri 4th Feb 2005

Cllr Duncan Hames, Liberal Democrat spokesman for the Westbury constituency expects a nail-bitingly close election after January's polls show a boost for the Liberal Democrats.

"The Liberal Democrats are on course to gain votes and seats from both Labour and the Conservatives at the election." predicts Lib Dem election expert Lord Rennard.

Analysis of opinion polls from January shows the Liberal Democrats scoring more highly than in any January of an election year since political polling began. Looking at all published polls, the party's average poll rating (21.6%) in January 2005 was around eight points above the average Lib Dem rating in January 2001 (13.7%) and nine points above the party's average in January 1997 (12.4%). By contrast Labour are down from an average of 50.6% in 1997 and 48.7% in 2001 to just 37.1% and the Tories score an average of just 32.1%, exactly the same as in January 2001.

"People have lost trust in Tony Blair's tired, complacent Government, but Michael Howard's Conservatives are not even an effective opposition let alone a credible alternative government." observes Cllr Hames.

"Independent polling shows a majority of people in Britain now see Charles Kennedy's Liberal Democrats as the real opposition. That is why the Liberal Democrats are the party with momentum as we head towards the general election. The Liberal Democrats are on course to gain votes and seats from both Labour and the Conservatives at the election." predicts Lib Dem election expert Lord Rennard.