The Tories' lead over Labour has been halved over the past month, according to an opinion poll.
The BPIX survey for the Sunday Telegraph gives the Conservatives a 12 point advantage over Labour, compared to a 23% lead in August.
It now puts the Tories on 43%, with Labour on 31% and the Liberal Democrats on 17%.
The findings - which are broadly in line with other recent polls - suggest that Labour has enjoyed a "bounce" since last week's party conference, despite the furore over Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly's resignation.
The poll also shows that voters would narrowly prefer - by a margin of 36% to 35% - Gordon Brown and Chancellor Alistair Darling rather their Tory counterparts, David Cameron and George Osborne, to lead them through the credit crunch.
BPIX polled 2,020 adults between September 24 and 26.
