“Why is Labour still so popular?” asks Pattrick Hennessy in his blog following the latest ICM poll published by The Guardian, which claims support for Labour has risen to 34%, an increase of five points from last month's ICM poll, whilst Conservative support is down by three points at 39%.

To a great extent, Mr Hennessy answers his own question but another explanation might be that Labour supporters are more fiercely loyal than those of other parties, more tribal, more likely to adopt a “my party, right or wrong” attitude of mind.  Conservative and Liberal Democrat core support is significantly more critical of its own party and to a degree, fair-weather.

It also helps that Labour is allowed to get away with facing both ways.  This started in earnest in late 2006 with Hazel Blears opposing a hospital ward closure in her constituency, when that very process was the result of a policy of a Government of which she was a member.  Her protest was a success, with the Government suffering only minor embarassment  whilst Miss Blears attained heroine status amongst her constituents.  The proposed Post Office closures provided another opportunity for Labour MPs to win approval from their constituents by opposing their own Government’s policy.  Now we have the charade of Labour MPs griping about the abolition of the ten per cent tax band, a measure they “nodded through” the House last year.  Nevertheless, they have won the approval of their constituents with Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling suffering no more than a little egg on their faces.

On the other hand, perhaps this is just another case of an opinion poll playing the usual old trick of understating support for the Conservatives whilst overstating that for Labour.  We shall have to await the results of next week’s elections, when all should become clear.