The Conservatives could capture 11 of 15 Liberal Democrat seats in the southwest, according to analysis by a leading pollster, as David Cameron seeks to capitalise on the weakness of his coalition partners.
One in three election visits made in January by the prime minister was to the southwest.
While most were to marginal seats, many were combined with government business, meaning that the taxpayer picked up the tab.
Analysis of the polls in January found that Nick Clegg’s party could retain as few as three of their 15 seats in the southwest. The study by Peter Kellner, president of YouGov, shows that support for the Lib Dems in their heartland has plummeted from 35 per cent in 2010 to only 16 per cent in