Conservatives extend lead over Labour

LONDON (Reuters) - Conservatives have only modestly extended their poll lead over Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Labour Party despite a month of government turmoil, the Guardian newspaper said Monday.

Conservative support held at 39 percent, Labour dropped a point to 27 percent and the centre-left Liberal Democrats dropped two points to 18 percent, the Guardian's monthly opinion survey from pollsters ICM showed.

This leaves the Conservatives on track for a narrow majority in the lower house of parliament when elections are held within the next 12 months, the Guardian said on its website.

But it is below the level of support they enjoyed before disclosures about legislators' expense claims damaged voter confidence in the major parties.

Support for minor parties rose one percentage point to 15 percent, its highest level since at least June 2005, the Guardian said.

Prime Minister Brown faced calls to resign from within his own party after a poor showing in European and local elections on June 4, but pulled through after reshuffling ministers.

Only 22 percent of respondents in the ICM poll said that Brown was the best person to be prime minister, compared to 48 percent who said opposition leader David Cameron was the right person for the job.

The Conservatives have also significantly extended their advantage on economic policy, extending their lead over Labour to 16 points from two points in January, despite signs that Britain may now be emerging from recession.

(Reporting by David Milliken; Editing by Jon Boyle)