UK

Poll shows all Tory leadership candidates trailing behind ‘None Of The Above’

The Tory leadership race has so far failed to inspire the electorate - with many of those surveyed rejecting all candidates.

 by Tom Head
2024-08-18 

Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA

If this doesn’t summarise the current state of the Conservative Party, then nothing else will. Latest figures released by Opinium Research reveal that the six front-runners to replace Rishi Sunak are all polling at single figures. But wait, there’s more…

Tory leadership race already heading for stalemate

The figures show that roughly 49% of those surveyed, from both a national perspective and from within the 2024 Tory voting cohort, still remain unsure about who they would pick to lead the party while in opposition.

A narrow favourite is starting to emerge. Priti Patel has edged ahead, gaining between 7-9% of public approval. The rest of the numbers are even more bleak. Tom Tugdenhat and James Cleverly sit on 6%, with Kemi Badenoch polling at 5%.

Mel Stride and Robert Jenrick already look to be falling by the wayside, with both of these outsiders stumping up just 2% to 3% of support from the respondents. However, all candidates are facing the ignominy of being beaten by the ‘None Of The Above’ option.

And the winner is… None Of The Above! Tory leadership race off to a quiet start

From all of those surveyed, a whopping 23% would not choose a candidate from the current field. Even among Conservative voters, only Priti Patel can match the total for NOTA, tying with 9%. The former Home Secretary appears to be forging an early, if not unconvincing, advantage

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Starmer and Sunak both record negative net approval ratings

After leading the Tories to crushing defeat at the General Election, Rishi Sunak remains rather unpopular among the general public. His approval rate remains at -30%, and has not changed within the last fortnight. The honeymoon is also over for Keir Starmer.

The PM and Labour leader, who saw his approval rating soar to +19 in July, now has a net score of -7% – despite the electorate largely supporting the government’s response to riots and disorder this month, with a 43% – 31% split on approvals and disapprovals.