Prime Minister Gordon Brown's reputation for handling the nation's finances is in tatters, the Tories have claimed after a damning new survey was published.
The poll suggested more than two thirds of voters (68%) are "not confident at all" in the Government's ability to deal with the present turmoil.
As Mr Brown prepared for crunch talks with City chiefs, the Financial Times/Harris survey found he was less trusted on the issue than any other major Western European leader.
Recent opinion polls have seen the Opposition move ahead on the key issue of economic competence for the first time since the Black Wednesday crisis of 1992.
And with Mr Brown facing open unrest among his own MPs over abolishing the 10p tax rate, David Cameron's party is keen to drive home its advantage.
In a speech to the Policy Exchange think-tank, shadow chancellor George Osborne will pin the blame for the present crisis the door of the former chancellor.
He will say: "Gordon Brown rested his claim to competence on three pillars: stability, prudence and competitiveness.
"Instead, after a decade of worldwide growth, we have ended up with housing boom followed by bust, spending followed by debt, and a country finding it more and more difficult to compete."
Almost twice as many British voters lack confidence in their leaders to weather the storm than their Spanish counterparts (36%), with Italian (43%), French (50%) and German (52%) electors also more certain of their government's abilities.
