The British Columbia Liberal Party has fallen eight percentage points behind the New Democratic Party in a voter intention poll the Mustel Group released this morning.

The poll put support for the Liberals at 38 percent, a drop from the 46 percent of the popular vote they received in the May 12 election. The NDP's support grew to 46 percent of those polled, up from their 42 percent of votes on election day.

The poll also found that 56 percent of respondents disapproved of Premier Gordon Campbell's performance, while just 36 percent approved. This is the widest margin in over two years, a Mustel report said.

Forty-one percent disapproved of James' performance, while 39 percent approve.

Taxes and government became a top concern for voters, identified by 25 percent as a key issue, tied with the economy. Health at 13 percent and the environment at 10 percent followed.

The Mustel Group conducted the poll of 500 adults in B.C. between August 5 and 11. It has a 4.4 percent margin of error at a 95 percent confidence level. Twelve percent of respondents were undecided.

Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Reach him here.