Brown's UK fiscal stimulus lifts opinion poll score

LONDON, Nov 26 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's tax cutting and borrowing plans have helped him squeeze an opinion poll lead enjoyed by his Conservative rivals to just four points, a poll showed on Wednesday.

The YouGov poll for the Daily Telegraph put the opposition Conservatives on 40 percent support, down 2 percentage points from the previous month, and Labour on 36 percent, up three percentage points from October.

The poll -- conducted after the government announced plans for a 20 billion pound stimulus package to support the flagging economy -- found that 60 percent of respondents supported Finance Minister Alistair Darling's announcement of a temporary cut in Value Added Tax to 15 percent, and 72 percent welcomed his new 45 percent tax band for higher earners.

The poll, which questioned 1,556 adults across Britain on November 24 and 25, is the latest to show how Brown's ratings are recovering as the economic crisis deepens.

Barely three months ago, Brown's leadership was being openly questioned by members of his own party as Labour lost a string of by-elections and polls showed Conservative leader David Cameron heading for a landslide victory at the next general election -- which is due by mid-2010.

But Brown's handling of the global financial crisis has lifted his standing within his party, and with voters. (Reporting by Kate Kelland. Editing by Tim Castle)