A survey suggests that British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's ruling Labour Party is slashing the chances of an easy victory for the Conservatives in the upcoming election.

The Observer newspaper published a new poll on Sunday, showing that center-left Labour is closing in on the Conservatives (Tories) with 31 percent support.

The poll, conducted for the paper by Ipsos Mori, put Conservatives in the lead with 37 percent, which considering that the center-left Liberal Democrats have 17 percent of the vote, raises the prospect of a hung parliament at the general election.

The six percent Tory lead is the narrowest gap between the rival parties since December and could cost the Conservatives their victory, just short of 35 parliament seats.

The survey also asked the public's opinion on the path of recovery from the recession. Some 43 percent said they believed the economy would perform better over the next year.

Around 28 percent predicted no change, while 23 percent said it would deteriorate.

Despite the poll boost for Labour and growing public optimism, Brown's personal ratings remain poor, with 34 percent of respondents saying they are happy with his performance and 59 percent saying they are dissatisfied.

Opposition leader David Cameron, on the other hand, has 48 percent public support and 35 percent disapproval.

While it has become a common political solution in many European countries, coalition governments are rare in Britain, usually formed during times of war.

The survey based its findings on data gathered from interviewing 1,006 adults by telephone from November 13 to 15.

ZHD/MMN