The Liberal Democrats are seen as the most honest of the three main parties about the spending cuts they would implement after the election in order to cut the nation’s deficit, but are the least trusted to manage the economy, a survey for the Sun newspaper has found.
29% of British adults feel that the Liberal Democrats are the most honest , compared to slightly fewer (26%) who think the Conservatives are the most honest. Still fewer feel that Labour is telling the whole story, with only 21% thinking Brown’s party is the most sincere.
Promises by canvassing politicians to cut the deficit are nothing new in the electoral campaign, especially in the wake of a crippling recession and a deficit that currently stands at an eye-watering £900 billion.
Interestingly, however, despite the public’s apparent trust of the Liberal Democrats’ declarations on cuts, only 20% of the public think they could be trusted to handle the economy, while 34% thought that an economy with the Conservatives at the helm would stand the best chances of revival. Labour, having languished in the trust stakes, saw comparatively high support levels at 30%.
Looking at these figures, one would be forgiven for thinking that the relatively unknown quantity that has been the Liberal Democrats has led many to think that their inexperience makes them far too great a gamble to take in terms of the economy, even despite their perceived honesty on the issue.
While the Conservatives may be seen by the public as the best party to handle the economy, it seems that the public is not as despairing of Brown’s economic record as Cameron may like us to believe. Labour has been judged to be only four percent behind, after all, despite having been in charge throughout the worst economic breakdown of recent decades. It looks like all could still be to play for.
