London, Aug. 6 : Britain’s opposition Conservative Party has reached the 40 per cent support level, which is seen as crucial for delivering a clear general election victory.

The weighted average of five polls last month puts the Tories on 40 per cent (up three points), Labour on 26 per cent (up two), the Liberal Democrats unchanged on 19 per cent and other parties on 15 per cent (down five).

Repeated at a general election, that would give Tory leader David Cameron an overall majority of 68 seats – a similar margin to that achieved by Tony Blair in 2005, reports The Independent.

The figures were based on the last polls before MPs left Westminster for their summer recess.

A ComRes survey for The Independent puts the Conservatives on 42 per cent and Labour on 24 per cent. The Conservatives have now enjoyed a consistent double-digit lead over Labour since the beginning of the year.

John Curtice, professor of politics at Strathclyde University, who compiled the figures, said there appeared to have been a "decisive long-term shift in the public mood" since the spring last year.

"Labour evidently has a tough job on its hands to shift this now long-standing public mood once more," he added. (ANI)