Guardian/ICM poll Labour losing battle to convince public
Julian Glover, Political correspondent
London Guardian, Tuesday 19 July
Two-thirds of Britons believe there is a link between Tony
Blair's decision to invade Iraq and the London bombings despite
government claims to the contrary, according to a Guardian/ICM
poll published today.
The poll makes it clear that voters believe further attacks in
Britain by suicide bombers are also inevitable, with 75% of those
responding saying there will be more attacks.
The research suggests the government is losing the battle to
persuade people that terrorist attacks on the UK have not been
made more likely by the invasion of Iraq.
According to the poll, 33% of Britons think the prime minister
bears "a lot" of responsibility for the London bombings and a
further 31% "a little".
Only 28% of voters agree with the government that Iraq and the
London bombings are not connected.
The poll follows repeated efforts by the government to stress
that al-Qaida attacks, including September 11, took place before,
as well as after, the invasion of Iraq.
Yesterday a government spokesman said the prime minister had told
the cabinet that people who used Iraq to justify the London
bombings had "a perverse view of Islam".
The foreign secretary, Jack Straw, dismissed a think-tank report
which argued that there was a link between the invasion of Iraq
and the bombings.
The report by Chatham House, formerly the Royal Institute of
International Affairs, said: "There is no doubt that the
situation over Iraq has imposed particular difficulties for the
UK, and for the wider coalition against terrorism."
Mr Straw said in Brussels yesterday: "I'm astonished Chatham
House is now saying that we should not have stood shoulder to
shoulder with our long-standing allies."
"The terrorists have struck across the world, in countries allied
with the US backing the war in Iraq, and in countries which had
nothing whatever to do with the war in Iraq."
But the Guardian/ICM poll shows the public believe that Britain's
frontline role has made the country a more obvious target. It
also shows that while Britons have reacted relatively calmly to
the attacks earlier this month - with 83% saying they were no
less likely to travel into central London and 75% saying they
were just as likely to use the tube - the public does want the
government to respond with new legislation.
A clear majority - 71% - want the government to exclude or deport
from the UK foreign Muslims who incite hatred, with only 22%
believing such people should be allowed to live in the UK.
That may give some comfort to ministers as they seek to persuade
opposition parties to support new laws making it an offence to
incite terrorism.
But the poll also shows that despite the attacks, there is
increasingly limited public support for ID cards.
Only 53% of those questioned said they believed ID cards should
be brought in to help in the fight against terrorism - a fall on
previous findings before and after the bombings.
Reflecting the relative cross-party unity that has dominated
politics since the attacks, the poll also finds that Labour's
poll lead remains almost unchanged on last month's Guardian/ICM
findings.
Despite public unease about the prime minister's decision to
support the invasion of Iraq, Labour has the support of 39% of
voters (up one point on last month), the Conservatives 31% (no
change) and the Liberal Democrats 23% (no change).
. ICM interviewed a random sample of 1,005 adults aged 18+ by
telephone between July 15 and 17. Interviews were conducted
across the country and the results have been weighted to the
profile of all adults. ICM is a member of the British Polling
Council and abides by its rules.
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