Aussie PM's popularity declines after deputy's resignation: poll

CANBERRA, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's popularity has collapsed in the wake of his deputy's resignation, a poll found.

The latest Newspoll, published on Monday, revealed that Turnbull's lead as preferred prime minister over opposition leader Bill Shorten has dropped from 14 points in early February to just 2 points.

Only 37 percent of 1,657 respondents identified Turnbull as their preferred prime minister, down from 45 percent in February, while Shorten's rating rose from 31 to 35 percent.

The poll was taken in the wake of Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce resigning over his relationship with former staffer Vikki Campion, a saga that dominated the political landscape for the first months of 2018.

Shorten's Australian Labor Party (ALP) maintained its 53-47 lead over the incumbent Liberal National Party (LNP) on a two-party preferred basis, the 28th consecutive Newspoll the LNP has lost under Turnbull's leadership.

Labor also holds a lead in primary vote 38-37 over the LNP while both the left-wing Greens and right-wing One Nation Party experienced significant drop-offs Enditem