Tories are a party for the rich, say voters.

As David Cameron, surprisingly, agrees to take part in a series of TV debates, a new poll has found that many voters believe that the Tories are a party which will look after the rich and that they do not represent a good alternative to New Labour.

In a remarkable snapshot of national opinion just months ahead of the general election, a ComRes poll for The Independent found that people disagree with the statement that "the Conservative Party offers an appealing alternative to the Labour Party", by a margin of 49 to 45 per cent. Meanwhile, by 52 to 44 per cent, the public agrees with the statement that "a Conservative Government would mainly represent the interests of the well-off rather than ordinary people".

And yet the British public still look likely to elect the Tories come next years General Election.

The survey gives the Tories a nine-point lead over Labour, down one point on last month. If repeated at a general election, the figures would leave the Tories five seats short of an overall majority in a hung parliament. According to ComRes, the Tories are on 38 per cent (up one point on last month), Labour 29 per cent (up two points), the Liberal Democrats 19 per cent (down one point) and others 14 per cent (down two points).

The findings will add to the jitters in the Tory high command after the gap between the two main parties closed in recent weeks. Amid fears that the Tory message has been too "austere" because of the economic crisis, Mr Cameron will try to paint a more positive vision of life under a Tory government in a new year campaign.

Cameron is promising severe cuts in social services, which is hardly the usual way to win over hearts and minds.

People in lower income brackets are more likely than those in higher income brackets (by 54 to 47 per cent) to agree that a Conservative government would mainly represent the interests of well-off people. Thirty per cent of Tory voters agree, as do 78 per cent of Labour and 64 per cent of Lib Dem voters. Worryingly for the Tories, 45 per cent of the "don't knows" (or those who refuse to say how they would vote) also agree with this statement.

Senior Tories will be most concerned about the lukewarm support for the party. Although the public has lost faith with Labour, it has not sufficiently warmed to the Conservatives for their liking.

I have always said that the British public is sleepwalking towards electing these buggers, without really knowing what it is that they are proposing.

Now I get the feeling that a lot of them do know what they are proposing but are simply sick of New Labour and feel that it is time for a change. Even though we all know whose interests they will be protecting.

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Tags: Cameron, Brown, New Labour, Tories, rich, poor