Double blow for Cowen as Labour tops poll

A DISMAL opinion poll capped a humiliating 24 hours for Taoiseach Brian Cowen after he was hit with a no-confidence motion because of his role in the banking crisis.

The poll gave a stunning boost to Labour, which beat Fine Gael to first place – making Eamon Gilmore’s party the most popular in the country for the first time. It showed Mr Cowen’s personal approval ratings down by eight points to just 18%, while support for Fianna Fáil fell by five points to 17%, leaving the party in third place.

But the shock result was the eight-point increase for Labour which put it on 32% and ahead of Fine Gael, which fell by four to 28%.