The Financial Times is the latest newspaper to come out in support of the Conservatives at the upcoming general election, joining several papers including the Daily Telegraph and Daily Mail. The Sun declared its allegiance to David Cameron as far back as September.

The Guardian, which ran an open thread asking readers for their opinions, and the Observer have both come out in support of the Liberal Democrats, in what could be their strongest election showing yet. The Independent meanwhile is calling for tactical voting to keep the Tories out of key seats, hoping for a Liberal Democrat / Labour coalition.

Which way have the national newspapers swung in previous general elections? Do they have an influence over voters, as Roy Greenslade argued yesterday? And have they flipped their votes according to the issues of the day, or stuck with the political party most closely representing their reader demographics?

Our spreadsheet, taken from the British Political Facts books by David and Gareth Butler, shows a mixed picture. The Daily Telegraph is resolutely Conservative, backing the Tories at every general election since 1945, while the Daily Mail and Daily Express have only strayed from the Tories once in that time. The Daily Mirror is equally resolute in backing Labour, whom it has supported throughout the post-war years.

The Sun is perhaps most likely to predict the winner of the 2010 general election - it has backed the winning party since 1979. Time will tell whether this trend continues.

Check out the table below for recent elections or download the spreadsheet for all the results, plus newspaper circulation figures, since 1945.



• DATA: Newspaper support and UK general elections

• Editor Alan Rusbridger opens up the debate to readers

• Roy Greenslade on the influence newspapers have over voters

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