Labour has come top of an online C-Store poll on voting intentions in the General Election on 7 May.

Labour received 38% of the vote, followed by the Conservatives on 26%, UKIP on 18% and the Liberal Democrats on 7.5%. A further 6% opted for the Scottish National Party, while 4.5% said ‘other’.

Middlesbrough retailer Bay Bashir, who owns two Lifestyle Express stores in the North East town, said he would probably vote Labour because he thought his customers would be better off should Labour come to power.

“The government hasn’t followed through on its promises, and with all the cuts people have less money to spend around here. I haven’t seen any more jobs out there, or an improvement in the economy. We’re no better off than we were in 2010. Labour will help our customers, which in turn helps us,” he added.

However, David Knight, who owns two Budgens stores in West Sussex, said he would be a “reluctant Conservative voter” because he didn’t trust Labour with the economy.

Sid Ali, who owns four Nisa stores in Aberdeenshire, said he would vote SNP. “The government has not taken a regional approach to their policies. How can they consider a £6.50 minimum wage to be okay in London as well as in Newcastle, where living standards are so much lower? It’s the same with business rates,” he added.

“The SNP will represent the interests of Scotland, yet the main parties have ruled out working with them in government. We’ve agreed to be part of the UK so we should have a say. The other parties’ attitudes will put a lot of people off. ”

All results were recorded between 24 March and 2 April.