Saturday, February 04, 2023

UK
Voters have no faith Sunak will clear up sleaze, new poll finds

Voters have little confidence Rishi Sunak can take care of sleaze in British politics, a new poll reveals.


By Kit Sandeman

In the week the Prime Minister hit 100 days in office, sacked Nadhim Zahawi and faced a growing crisis over Dominic Raab, a new poll found only one per cent of voters are “completely confident” in Mr Sunak's ability to eradicate sleaze.

Six per cent said they were “confident” he could, but 55 per cent were “not confident at all”.

Among Conservative voters, only three per cent were “completely confident” that Sunak could take care of sleaze, and 82 per cent of Labour voters said they were “not confident at all”, according to the polling by People Polling for GB News,
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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during a visit to Northern School of Art 
in Hartlepool, County Durham

Meanwhile the poll indicated the Tories remain well behind Labour in terms of voting intentions.

This poll sees Labour on 46 per cent of the national vote (-4 on last week), the Conservative Party at 22 per cent (+1), the Liberal Democrats on 9 per cent (+1), the Greens on 7 per cent (+2) and Reform on 7 per cent (no change). This means the gap between Labour and the Conservatives is now 24 points and is well adrift of the opposition Labour Party.

The poll also revealed that more people support striking teachers than oppose them.

Conducted a day after teachers across the UK walked out in a dispute over pay and conditions, it found  they have the backing of nearly half of voters.

When asked for their view on the issue, 48 per cent said they support the strikes and 28 per cent said they oppose them. Twenty-four per cent said they didn’t know or prefered not to say.

Among Conservative voters, 30 per cent supported the strikes and 54 per cent opposed them. Among Labour voters, 84 per cent supported the strikes and only 7 per cent opposed them.

Commenting, politics expert Professor Matt Goodwin, of the University of Nottingham, said: “Consistent with our polling on other strikes, we find that more people support the strikes than oppose them, with almost half the country voicing their support for the teachers on strike and only a little over one in four opposing them. There is, however, significant variation in both parties. While most Conservative voters oppose the strikes, the vast majority of Labour voters support them”.

Just 7% Of Voters Believe That Rishi Sunak Can Tackle Tory Sleaze

The Nadhim Zahawi scandal seems to have taken its toll.

By Kevin Schofield
02/02/2023 

Rishi Sunak does not have his troubles to seek after 100 days as prime minister.

OLI SCARFF VIA PA WIRE/PA IMAGES

Just 7% of voters have confidence that Rishi Sunak will tackle sleaze in British politics.

The shock findings follow the sacking of Nadhim Zahawi as Tory chairman after he was found guilty of multiple breaches of the ministerial code over a probe into his tax affairs.

Sunak is also coming under mounting pressure to sack his deputy, Dominic Raab, over bullying claims made against him by dozens of civil servants.


The poll by People Polling for GB News, also shows little public appetite for Boris Johnson to return to government.

And it confirms that the Conservatives continue to trail more than 20 points behind Labour.

Those taking part in the poll were asked how confident they were that Sunak - who marks 100 days as PM today - could eradicate sleaze from British politics.

Only 1% said they were “completely confident”, with a further 6% saying they were “confident”.

By contrast, 55% said they were “not confident at all”.

Sunak’s ratings were barely any better among Conservative voters, with just 3% of them “completely confident” in his ability to tackle sleaze. Meanwhile, 82% of Labour voters said they were “not confident at all”.

At prime minister’s questions yesterday, Keir Starmer said: “The Tory Party’s addiction to sleaze and scandal has done huge damage to this country and the cost to the public keeps adding up.”

Politics expert Professor Matt Goodwin said: “Amid the fallout from Nadhim Zahawi’s resignation and ongoing stories about sleaze and bad behaviour around the Conservative Party, we find that very few voters are confident Rishi Sunak can clean up politics and remove sleaze.

“On the contrary, more than half the electorate say they are ‘not confident at all’ he will be able to take care of sleaze.”

Amid calls for Boris Johnson to replace Zahawi as Tory chairman, the poll found that 56% of voters either “strongly opposed” or “opposed” his return to cabinet, with only 21% supporting it.

Even among Tory voters, just 47% said they support him returning, with 30% opposing it.

Overall, the poll puts Labour on 46%, with the Conservatives on 22% and the Lib Dems on 9%.

Professor Goodwin said: “The Conservative Party’s share of the national vote remains as flat as a pancake, at a historic low level of support.

“There is little evidence Rishi Sunak, whose own ratings were also down last week, is turning the boat around. The party is still headed for a heavy wipeout at the general election unless things change and, before then, a bruising set of local elections in the spring.”

EXCLUSIVE:
More than half of voters want a general election now as Rishi Sunak drowns in sleaze


The Redfield and Wilton poll for the Mirror found a whopping 52% believe Parliament should call a general election now with only 32% opposed. Four in 10 think Rishi Sunak does not have a mandate to govern


By John Stevens
Political Editor, 4 Feb 2023

Voters are demanding a general election now as Rishi Sunak’s government drowns in sleaze.

More than half want to head to the ballot box to have a say on who runs the country.

The survey, conducted for the Mirror by Redfield and Wilton, shows around four in 10 (41%) believe the PM does not have a mandate to govern. Only 31% disagree.

Mr Sunak was handed the keys of No10 in October without a single vote being cast by Tory MPs, party members or the public.

He has binned the Conservatives’ 2019 election manifesto as well as the pledges he made in the leadership contest in the summer.

Asked which party they associate with sleaze, 38% said Tories compared to only 9% who picked Labour. Around a fifth (19%) said both parties, while 11% chose neither.


Rishi Sunak slammed for 'fly posting' as he leaves levelling up poster on old building


Voters want a say on whether Keir Starmer should take over as PM (
Image: Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)

The Prime Minister, who marked 100 days in office today promised to lead a government with “integrity, professionalism and accountability” at every level.

But he has faced a series of sleaze scandals.

Gavin Williamson resigned from Cabinet after just two weeks after he faced bullying claims.

Deputy PM Dominic Raab is currently being investigated over complaints he bullied dozens of civil servants.

Mr Sunak was criticised for appointing Suella Braverman as Home Secretary just six days after she was sacked from the job for leaking.

The PM last month was fined by the police for failing to wear a seat belt as he filmed an Instagram video in the back of the car.

And Conservative Party chairman Nadhim Zahawi was sacked last weekend for attempting to hide the truth about not paying enough in tax.


Nadhim Zahawi was sacked as Conservative Party chair on Sunday
 (Image: PA)

Critics have warned that the country is broken after 13 years of Tory rule.

The NHS is suffering its worst crisis in history as patients face record waiting lists and there are delays in ambulances getting to the seriously ill.

Mr Sunak has been criticised for failing to negotiate an end to the strikes across the public sector, including the health service, schools and railways.

In the poll yesterday, asked whether Parliament should call a general election now, a whopping 52% said yes with 32% opposed.

Voters don't think Rishi Sunak has a mandate to govern
 (Image: Getty Images)

Mr Sunak was beaten by Liz Truss in the race to become Tory leader in the summer.

She was forced to stand down after just 49 days when her catastrophic mini-Budget caused economic carnage.

Mr Sunak was crowned as her replacement after Boris Johnson and Penny Mordaunt withdrew from the contest to succeed her.

He won by default without receiving a single vote or uttering a single word in public.

During the contest, his only public statements were a 166-word written message launching his campaign and a 66-word tweet after Mr Johnson withdrew.

More than 149,000 people have now signed the Mirror's petition on the 38 Degrees website calling for a general election now.

:: Redfield and Wilton interviewed 1,500 adults in Britain online on February 2.

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