Labour has extended its poll lead over the Conservatives, according to the latest survey.

A Populus study for Tuesday's Times puts support for Labour on 40 per cent, the Tories on 30 per cent and the Liberal Democrats on 21 per cent.

The gap has widened slightly since the last poll, which quizzed the public before the party conference season.

The findings suggest that while the media was impressed by signs of a Conservative revival in Blackpool, the public has yet to adopt the same view.

This year's autumn conference was hailed as a success by outgoing leader Michael Howard.

But the findings suggest that the drawn out process of electing a replacement is hitting public support of the party.

Labour will be buoyed by indications that, despite a rocky conference which saw splits between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown again topping the agenda, its support remains steady.