An ICM poll commissioned by POWER2010 has found that the public now trust MPs less than estate agents and people who run large companies. 

Only 25% trust 'MPs in general' to tell the truth (and less than half - 46% - trust their own local MP). Even fewer - 22% - now trust government ministers to tell the truth.

This is significantly lower than the levels of trust for other professionals, including: family doctors (96%), teachers (88%), local beat officers (84%), senior police officers (74%), people who run large companies (37%), and estate agents (30%).

The same poll also found:

• Almost two-thirds agree Britain's system of government needs to be improved 'quite a lot' or 'a great deal'. Only 3% agree that it works 'extremely well and could not be improved'.

• 96% believe it is important that the next government clean up politics and reform our democracy.

• Three-quarters (75%) say that the parties' different positions on democratic reform will affect how they vote, including 44% who say it will affect their voting choice 'a lot'.

• Of the three main parties, 22% trust Labour most to clean up politics - marginally less than the 23% who trust the LibDems and Conservatives.

You can read the poll results in full here. 

These findings show that democratic reform is now very important to voters.

After all the scandals of the past few years, people are fed up with the corruption of the last rotten Parliament and desperate for change - and they are prepared to back this up in the polling booth.

The parties' proposals for democratic reform will be a central part of this election.

Some may be surprised that the Conservatives are now trusted more than Labour on democratic reform and cleaning up parliament.

But after 13 years of promising far-reaching reform, but all too often failing to deliver, many people no longer believe Labour is capable of creating a new politics.