How low can he go? Sunak’s approval rating hits ‘worst-ever level’

Rishi Sunak isn’t having a great time. He’s spent most of his time as PM trying – and arguably failing – to put out fires within his own party. Now, it seems the ghost of Prime Ministers past are doing a number on his approval ratings.

Voters turned-off by Rishi Sunak

Analysts at Opinium revealed this weekend that Tory leader is now polling at an all-time low. The premierships of both Boris Johnson and Liz Truss appear to be casting a shadow over Mr. Sunak – and 30% of those asked blame the latest interest rate hikes on last year’s mini-budget.

Truss, alongside then-Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, presented a disastrous economic blueprint last September. It led to both losing their jobs within weeks of assuming office. Their catastrophic reign is still fresh in the minds of the electorate.

The facts and figures that spell trouble for the Tories

As per Opinium’s latest figures, things aren’t looking good for Sunak or his colleagues:

• Labour have seen their share of the vote rise by three points to 44%, opening up an 18-point lead.
• The Conservatives are only favoured by 26% of respondents – that’s down three points from earlier this month.
• The right-wing Reform UK party may also be beneficiaries of this Tory slump, and 10% of those surveyed back the political newcomers.
• The Lib Dems, Green Party, and SNP trail in fourth, fifth, and sixth respectively, with single-figure scores.
• Rishi Sunak’s net approval rating has plummeted to -23%. These are Opinium’s worst figures for the PM since he assumed office.

Sunak staring down the barrel as General Election looms

Adam Drummond is the head of political and social research at Opinium. He stated that more mortgage holders are putting their support behind Labour, and forecasts that this current ‘economic storm’ will cost the Tories the next election:

“In the last two months, Labour’s lead among mortgage holders has grown from 20 to 30 points. It’s hard to see this situation improving, when voters blame the government (39%) and the Truss/Kwarteng mini-budget (30%) to a greater degree than the Bank of England (14%).”

“The fact that a third of those who voted Conservative in 2019 blame the mini-budget shows how Truss and Kwarteng have managed to make the Tories synonymous with an economic storm that is unlikely to clear before the next election.” | Adam Drummond