Although Labour’s response to the riots and disorder across the UK might have upset the odd social media-owning billionaire this month, the results from two major opinion polls indicate that the general public is relatively pleased with the government’s handling of the issue.
After leading the Tories to crushing defeat at the General Election, Rishi Sunak remains rather unpopular among the general public. His approval rate stays 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.
This data is also well-aligned with figures released by Savanta this week. Both the police and Mr. Starmer have a majority of participants who believe they both handled the ‘civil unrest’ well. Yvette Cooper, and the government in general, also landed favourable scores.
A narrow favourite is starting to emerge, as per Opinium. 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.
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.
