New polling suggests Rishi Sunak’s approval rating is at an all-time low – despite defeating the House of Lords over his ‘small boats’ migrant bill. It comes ahead of what he admits will be a “difficult” day for the Tories.
He is set to face Prime Minister’s Questions and his backbenchers today (Wednesday, July 19). And on Thursday, he faces mid-term by-elections he has admitted will be “difficult,” with his latest personal polling likely to add to Tory jitters.
The polling showed that just a quarter of Britons surveyed by YouGov last week hold a favourable view of the Prime Minister. And two-thirds have an unfavourable opinion.
His net favourability has tumbled to minus 40, the lowest level since he took office, the polling firm said. It is bad news for Mr Sunak ahead of Thursday’s by-elections, with the Tories already bracing for a potential triple defeat.
His approval score dropped from minus 34 in late June. Since then, the economic situation has continued to be dire, with the cost of a mortgage hitting a 15-year high.
Despite Mr Sunak’s pledge to halve inflation by the end of the year, it has stuck at 8.7% and the Bank of England is still hiking interest rates. The latest official inflation figures are released on Wednesday morning amid worries over more financial pain in store for homeowners.
With the consensus among economists that June’s figure will stay high at around 8.2%, the issue will likely come up in Mr Sunak’s weekly clash with Sir Keir Starmer. Public perception of the Labour leader is far better than that of Mr Sunak, with Sir Keir’s favourability rating at minus 22.
But it has also fallen, having been minus 14 in June. One in three of the 2,151 people surveyed by YouGov have a favourable view of Sir Keir, while 54% have an unfavourable one.
Mr Sunak’s last grilling in the Commons before Parliament rises for summer recess comes after he missed the last two sessions for the NHS 75th Anniversary service and to attend the Nato summit in Lithuania. The Conservative Party leader is expected address his MPs at the 1922 committee of backbench Tories later on Wednesday.
Then on Thursday, he faces mid-term by-elections he has admitted will be “difficult,” with his latest personal polling likely to add to Tory jitters. Labour and the Liberal Democrats are hoping to inflict blows on the Conservatives in the contests in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, Selby and Ainsty, and Somerton and Frome.
Defeats would increase pressure on the Prime Minister to act decisively to turn around public perception ahead of a general election expected next year.
