Almost three-quarters (73%) of those interviewed for a BBC Newsnight opinion poll think that there should be a general election soon after Tony Blair steps down as Prime Minister.

The BBC Newsnight opinion poll was carried out just ahead of the 10th anniversary of the election which brought Tony Blair to power. The results will be broadcast on Newsnight at 10.30pm today (1 May) on BBC Two.

Under a quarter of those interviewed (23%) think there is no need for a general election. Even a majority of those who describe themselves as Labour voters think there should be a general election (52%) versus 44% who think there should not be.

The poll suggests that opinion of the Prime Minister has gone down over the last five years. Just over a quarter (27%) think the Prime Minister is trustworthy – when asked the same question five years ago, almost half (48%) thought he was.

And just over a third of those interviewed (34%) think the Prime Minister is in touch with ordinary people – five years ago that was 43%.

The poll suggests people think the Prime Minister’s international standing has gone down. Five years ago, two-thirds (66%) thought he was respected around the world – now less than half (45%) think that.