Nick Clegg's efforts to rally the Liberal Democrat faithful have been awkwardly undermined as a new poll finds the party has slipped to fourth place.
In a survey carried out by Tory peer Lord Ashcroft, just 7% of voters would vote for the Liberal Democrats, a 1% drop on last month leaving them at level-pegging with the Greens, who rose 3% in the polls.
Lord Ashcroft's latest findings
Meanwhile, the Tories are out in front at 32%, with Labour close behind at 30%. The poll, carried out over the past weekend, suggests that David Cameron's well-received Tory conference speech has seen his party's lead stay firm.
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The news has delighted many Green Party supporters, who celebrated the fact that the party was "overtaking" the Lib Dems in the polls.
The Green Party also boasted that 12% of people who voted Lib Dem in 2010 intended to vote Green in May 2015, according to the Independent's "poll of polls".
Natalie Bennett, Green Party Leader, said: “As pollsters and commentators are increasingly recognising, next year's election will be a genuine five-party race.
"As the three business-as-usual parties demonstrate they cannot move on from the failed policies of the past 30 years it is not surprising that support for the Green Party is swelling."