A new poll for The Guardian shows most people think the Conservative Party would be more popular if they backed traditional families.
The poll, conducted by ICM, found 69 per cent agreed that the Tories’ appeal could be boosted by keeping “themselves on the side of traditional families”.
That number rises to 84 per cent amongst Tory supporters, but even 62 per cent of Labour and Lib Dem supporters agree.
Bewilder
The Tories have been embroiled in controversy following David Cameron’s push to redefine marriage.
An editorial in today’s Daily Mail rebukes the Prime Minister for becoming entangled in obsessions like gay marriage, “which frankly bewilder many of his core voters”.
The Mail notes that the recent by-election, in which the Tories lost out to the Lib Dems and UKIP, showed, “constituency workers have been giving up in their droves”.
The paper concludes: “If he is to win back the loyalty of the quiet majority in Britain who regard themselves as conservative, it’s high time he started proving he’s on their side.”
Resign
Last week it was revealed that one unnamed local Conservative association had seen membership nose-dive from 850 to 550 largely because of gay marriage.
And last month, a Tory chairman in David Cameron’s own constituency resigned because of the Prime Minister’s support for redefining marriage.
Cicely Maunder said she had “no idea” why Mr Cameron supports the change, and said other local members also walked out over the plans.
Unpopular
It also emerged in February that Lord Ashcroft, the Tories’ largest donor, had said he would not fund the party because of David Cameron’s obsession with issues like same-sex marriage.
Following the by-election defeat Tory MP Stewart Jackson commented: “This is the price that has to be paid for gay marriage because of the drastic unpopularity of it with activists and supporters, who have been less inclined to get out and campaign on the streets because of it.”