Credit;PA
As few as 21 per cent of Brits think the Conservatives are fit to govern – the lowest score the party has recorded since records began.
The latest Ipsos Political Monitor, taken June 22nd-29th shows the Conservatives face significant challenges for their party image in public opinion.
Just 12 per cent think the Tories are a party that keeps its promises, while 16 per cent say they believe it has a good team of leaders.
There has been big swings in voter intention since the last poll was conducted.
Labour is on 41 per cent, up two points since May, while the Conservatives are now down to 30 per cent, and the Liberal Democrats up three to 15 per cent.
Just over a fifth (21 per cent) of Britons now consider the Conservatives ‘fit to govern’ (-13 points from September 2021).
This is the lowest number for either the Conservatives or Labour since Ipsos started tracking this metric in 2011.
Labour leads the Conservatives here by 12 points – only the second time Labour have led on this measure since 2011.
However, whilst Labour’s score has increased 6 points from September last year to 33 per cent, it has registered higher scores for this measure in the past.
Elsewhere, 66 per cent now see the Conservatives as divided, up from 44 per cent in September and their highest number since November 2017 when then Prime Minister Theresa May was struggling to get her Brexit deal through parliament.
Half (47 per cent) think Labour are divided, which is Labour’s lowest score since 2015.
Just 12 per cent think the Conservatives are a party that ‘keeps its promises’, similar to September and their lowest score since 2011.
Commenting on the results, Gideon Skinner, head of political research at Ipsos, said: “While it remains to be seen whether the Conservatives’ dip in voting intention figures is down to post-by election blues, a more worrying question for them is if more serious damage is being done to their party brand in the eyes of the public.
“It’s not unusual to see Labour ahead on metrics such as being concerned about people in real need or looking after the interests of people like you, but it’s much rarer to see the Conservatives behind on being fit to govern or having a good team of leaders.
“However, this mainly reflects the Conservatives’ ten-year lows on some of these scores, as well as growing perceptions of division in their ranks – Labour themselves still have more to do to convince the public that they are ready for government.”
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