A new mega-poll has found that the British public has run out of patience with Rishi Sunak with most saying they want an early election and that they would consider voting tactically to either scrap or save his government.
The poll of over 10,000 people carried out by Focaldata on behalf of Best for Britain found a whopping 61 per cent want Sunak to go to the country by June with 36 per cent wanting a general election as soon as possible. A mere 17 per cent think the Prime Minister should wait until autumn with fewer than 1 in 10 (9 per cent) thinking he should wait until the last possible moment in January 2025.
Whenever it might be, the same survey suggests that tactical voting will be critical at the next election with most respondents (52 per cent), potentially representing 16 million voters, saying they would consider voting tactically. Thirty-eight per cent say they would consider voting tactically to secure a change of government while just 13 per cent say they are prepared to do so to keep Sunak in post.
When asked who would make the best Prime Minister, Starmer is the most popular choice in 390 constituencies including Sunak’s own seat of Richmond in North Yorkshire, but Don’t Know wins in a staggering 238 seats and only Braintree, Castle Point, Clacton and North Bedfordshire put Sunak top.
Brits are united in their view of how the Government’s Brexit deal has impacted everyday life. Most feel it has; increased the cost of their weekly shop (76 per cent), reduced the availability of goods and services (60 per cent), made the small boats issue worse (58 per cent) and stunted economic growth (63 per cent). Half said it has restricted their ability to see a doctor (50 per cent).
Analysis of these findings has uncovered the remaining undecided voters who would consider voting tactically to change the government and who may prove pivotal at the next election. These voters are more likely to be women, university educated, of working age, homeowners and closely split between Remain and Leave voters in 2016 and Labour and Tory voters in 2019.
Critically, they believe Brexit has had a negative impact on everyday life far more than the wider population with 9 in 10 of these self-identified tactical voters saying Brexit has increased the cost of the weekly shop. A majority (55 per cent) of these undecided tactical voters want Keir Starmer to seek a closer relationship with the EU, with only 4 per cent saying he should seek greater distance.
Naomi Smith, CEO of Best for Britain, said: “The message in our polling from voters is clear – they want an election, they think Brexit has hurt them in their pockets, and they’re prepared to vote tactically for change. Labour may be on course for a victory, but under our broken electoral system nothing can be taken for granted.
“With the possibility of Farage’s party offering a life raft to his vulnerable friends on the Conservative right, tactical voting will be more important than ever.
“That’s why Best for Britain will launch GetVoting.org, the UK’s most powerful tactical voting operation ahead of the next election to help voters understand which opposition party is best placed to unseat the Government in their area.”
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