52 per cent of Lib Dems think Coalition won't last 5 years

Wednesday 11 May 2011

Exclusive: a YouGov poll for Channel 4 News finds more than half of Lib Dem supporters believe the Coalition will collapse before a general election and a third think Nick Clegg should go before then.

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The findings of the Channel 4 News/YouGov survey will not make happy reading for Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg.

More than half of those polled thought that the Coalition would fall apart before the full five year term is up in 2015.

Channel 4 News/YouGov poll of Liberal Democrats, May 2011.

Of those, 33 per cent said that the split would likely occur shortly before the general election. However, nearly two-thirds thought the party should try to stick it out for the agreed five years.

In the poll, 57 per cent maintained the Lib Dems were "right" to go into government with the Tories but 66 per cent admitted they think it has been "bad" for the party. Twenty-one per cent thought the alliance had been "disastrous".

On policy issues 73 per cent of those surveyed think that the Coalition is handling the NHS badly. Almost as bad for the Lib Dem leadership as the 77 per cent who think the Government handled tuition fees badly and much higher than any other policy area in the disapproval stakes.

BLOG: analysis from Channel 4 News Political Editor Gary Gibbon

Nick Clegg: YouGov poll reveals Lib Dem members concerned about their leader. (Getty)

Hero to zero?

Nick Clegg's slumping popularity comes in stark contrast to the picture one year ago when "Cleggmania" was credited with changing the course of the election and resulted in the Con/Lib union.

The poll suggests 35 per cent think Nick Clegg should not lead the party into the next election, although 45 per cent say he should.

Fifty-six per cent told YouGov that Mr Clegg had been a "liability" to the Yes campaign during the AV referendum, which the No vote won with ease.

But there is good news for Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Chris Huhne who only narrowly lost the election for the Lib Dem leadership in 2007.

The survey shows 77 per cent think he is "doing well" (compared to 50 per cent for Clegg) and 31 per cent would like Mr Huhne to lead the party at the next general election.

Channel 4 News/YouGov spoke to 396 current Lib Dem party members and 118 former members, 9-11 May 2011.

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