A LabourList poll suggests a steep decline in popularity for Ed Miliband over strikes

By Joseph Willits 
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Last week we reported some bad news for Ed Miliband, that according to a poll in the Sun, only 1 in 5 Labour voters would back him. Today signals further disappointment for the Labour leader with a poll on LabourList blaming Miliband's handling of public sector pensions strikes on 30th November for a steep decline in popularity.

• Only 26% of those polled consider Ed Miliband to be doing a 'good' or 'excellent' job as leader of the Labour party, compared to 40% in October, and 59% at his peak in July.
• The biggest percentage grouping of 41% felt Miliband's performance was 'poor' or 'very poor'.
• 33% would describe Miliband as 'average'.
• Although 83% of LabourList readers backed the strikes, 67% believed Miliband handled the situation badly. 
• Tom Watson, Yvette Cooper, and Andy Burnham were the three most popular in the Shadow Cabinet.

The poll was conducted between Monday 5th and Friday 9th December. 604 people voted. LabourList's Mark Ferguson wrote:

"It remains to be seen whether Miliband can bounce back in the New Year, or whether the damage done is permanent".

The poll coincides with another conducted by the Sun today, which places the Tory party ahead of Labour for the first time this year, largely believed to be due to Cameron's decision to veto a new EU treaty. The YouGov poll placed the Conservatives on 41%, Labour on 39% and the Liberal Democrats on 10%. Cameron's success in Europe has also prompted a drop in support for UKIP, who polled at 3%. 

If the stikes over public sector pensions were the determining factor in a decline in popularity for Ed Miliband in LabourList's poll, next month's poll considering whether or not there will be a fallout from the EU treaty for him will be highly anticipated by friends and foes alike.