Britain could be on course for a hung parliament after the next general election, a survey has suggested.
The Tories' advantage over Labour has narrowed to 10 points over the past month, research by ComRes for The Independent found. The party was down 3% on 37%, with Labour unchanged on 27% and the Lib Dems up two on 20%.
If the result was reflected at the ballot box, it would leave David Cameron six seats short of an overall majority. The Conservatives would have 320 seats, Labour 240, the Liberal Democrats 58 and other parties 14, the polling company calculated.
The research also suggested that people were becoming more positive about the prospects for UK plc.
Some 56% said they were optimistic about the economy generally, compared to 41% who were pessimistic.
Nearly two-thirds said they would spend about the same on this Christmas as last year, while 30% were planning on spending less and 8% more than 12 months ago.
