Independents benefit as voters spurn main parties

Voters are turning away from the main political parties, with Independent candidates more popular than ever, according to two weekend opinion polls which also point to disaster for Labour in the forthcoming elections.

Support for non-party candidates has risen from 15% at the time of the 2011 general election, to 21%, according to a Millward Brown Poll, putting them almost on a par with Fianna Fáil on 22% and Sinn Féin on 20%.

The poll shows Independents are three-and-a-half times more popular than the Labour Party who have 6% support — the lowest the junior coalition party has polled since coming into office and a drop from 19% at the last general election.