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David Cameron was dealt a bitter new blow today by an exclusive poll revealing that support for Ukip hit record levels during the Maria Miller expenses scandal.

As the Prime Minister officially launched the Conservatives’ European elections campaign, Ipsos MORI disclosed that backing for Nigel Farage’s anti-EU party has surged to 15 per cent — its joint highest rating yet.

Polling was carried out from Saturday to Monday while Mr Cameron was loyally defending his then Culture Secretary.

The results will be seen by many Tories as confirmation Ukip was helped by the scandal. The survey also shed possible new light on why Chancellor George Osborne reportedly intervened to force yesterday’s resignation by Mrs Miller.

It found that he delivered the most popular Tory Budget for a generation and now enjoys the highest satisfaction rating of any Tory Chancellor since 1980 — but these personal triumphs are not being translated into higher Conservative popularity.

Instead, the Tories are down a point since March to 31 per cent — six points behind Labour, who are up two points to 37 per cent.

Other key findings in the exclusive poll revealed:

Nick Clegg’s decision to challenge Mr Farage to two live debates backfired. The Liberal Democrats have plunged four points since last month’s survey to nine per cent, while Ukip has jumped four points. Mr Farage’s personal rating is up from 31 to 40 per cent, highest of the four main leaders.

Eight in 10 people share Ed Miliband’s view there is a “cost of living crisis” in Britain, suggesting critics are wrong to think his campaign has run out of steam.

David Cameron maintains his lead as the most capable Prime Minister, beating Mr Miliband by 34 to 20 per cent.

The PM is also seen as the most “out of touch” of the four leaders.

Tory MPs will be most agonised by the contrast between Mr Osborne’s successes and the party’s overall score. More than four in 10 people polled think the Budget was good for them and nearly half say it was good for the UK. This is the best personal score for a Tory since Nigel Lawson in 1987 paved the way for Margaret Thatcher’s third election victory.

Nearly half the public are satisfied with Mr Osborne as Chancellor.

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Gideon Skinner, head of political research at Ipsos MORI, said: “George Osborne’s Budget has gone down well with the public. But it hasn’t yet had the impact they might have hoped, as its shine for the Conservatives has been rubbed off by the Maria Miller scandal and Ukip’s rise.”

A senior Lib-Dem minister shrugged off the evidence that the Clegg-Farage debate backfired, saying: “We achieved what we set out to do, which was to show we are the only party prepared to fight to defend our EU membership.”

Launching the Tory Euro-elections campaign, Mr Cameron said the Tories were the only party making “real change in Europe that works for you”. He declared: “Three words sum up everything we are about in Europe: Britain’s National Interest.”