It is Sunak’s worst score since Feb when he was on minus 10. In contrast, Starmer was in positive territory with an approval rating of plus five…reports Asian Lite News
Rishi Sunak’s approval rating in the “Blue Wall” has sunk to its lowest level since February, a poll has found. The “Blue Wall” refers to 42 seats in the south of England that have traditionally voted Tory but where support has been slipping in recent years.
A survey conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies on July 2 gave Sunak a rating of minus eight, with 30 per cent of voters in these areas approving of his performance and 38 per cent disapproving.
It is Sunak’s worst score since Feb 26 when he was on minus 10. In contrast, Sir Keir Starmer was in positive territory with an approval rating of plus five, with 31 per cent of voters approving of his performance and 26 per cent disapproving.
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The Tories won 42 of the “Blue Wall” seats at the 2019 general election with almost 50 per cent of the vote to the Liberal Democrats’ 27 per cent. Labour came third in this collection of seats, taking 21 per cent of the vote.
The latest poll gives Labour a seven point lead over the Tories in the seats with the party backed by 36 per cent of voters and the Conservatives backed by 29 per cent. The Lib Dems are down at 25 per cent.
The pollsters also asked voters which party they trusted on 12 key issues, and Labour came top in nine, including tackling poverty and supporting the NHS.
The Tories only came top in three – Ukraine, foreign affairs and coronavirus.
Altogether, 84 per cent of those who voted Labour in 2019 say they would vote Labour again, while 73 per cent of those who voted Lib Dem say they would vote for the party at the next election.
Only 52 per cent of 2019 Conservative voters now say they would vote Conservative again if a general election were held tomorrow. Fifteen per cent say they would vote for Labour, 8 per cent would switch to Reform UK, and 5 per cent would support the Lib Dems.
The poll comes a day after Sunak admitted to MPs that one of his five priorities – halving inflation – was proving harder to achieve than anticipated.
The Prime Minister said inflation was “persistent”, partly because many more people are now on fixed-term mortgages.
That means that hikes in interest rates take longer to have an impact on consumers’ spending power, making it harder to bring interest rates down.
Sunak also insisted that his promise of stopping small boat crossings was not on hold while the Rwanda policy is grounded by court challenges.
The Prime Minister denied he has no plan B if the Supreme Court does not overturn the ruling blocking the forceful removal of asylum seekers to the capital city of Kigali.
He told the Liaison Committee that ministers will challenge the appeals court judgement “confidently and vigorously”.
Asked if his pledge to “stop the boats” is on hold, he said: “No, and a good example of why it’s not on hold is our deal with Albania.”
Daunting road ahead for Sunak
The challenge for Sunak lies in the absence of clear indicators of improvement. The economy remains in a precarious state, and the mortgage crisis is expected to worsen before any signs of recovery emerge.
Ministers had pinned hopes on the Rwanda scheme to boost their fortunes, but a recent Court of Appeal ruling deemed the scheme unlawful, rendering an implementation this year highly unlikely. The case is now set to be heard in the Supreme Court, possibly in October.
What can Sunak do?
Nevertheless, Sunak still has a few cards to play. There is a glimmer of hope within the government that inflation will experience a steep decline in the latter half of 2023. Additionally, a cabinet reshuffle is being debated, with discussions revolving around whether to conduct it at the end of July or when Members of Parliament return after the summer recess, as per a report by Times.
Among those potentially facing changes or relocations are Health Secretary Steve Barclay, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, and Home Secretary Suella Braverman. However, all three currently enjoy more favourable receptions from Tory members compared to Sunak, making the task of forming his pre-election team even more challenging.
Good news for Starmer?
As the PM grapples with waning support and an uncertain economic landscape, the road ahead appears increasingly rocky. Sunak and his team must navigate these challenges while seeking to regain momentum and address the concerns that have eroded public confidence in the government’s handling of the country’s affairs.
If Sunak fails, Sir Keir Starmer will soon attain the good fortune of calling 10 Downing Street his home. Labour had a 18 point lead over Tories in national polls. According to a report from Nesta thinktank and the Behavioural Insights unit, Labour has a lead over Tories in more than 100 battleground seats.
If these trends hold, Starmer will become the first Labour leader to lead Britain in 15 years. The last one was Gordon Brown. Keir’s parents, wherever they are, will certainly be happy. He was, after all, named after Keir Hardie, the founder of the Labour Party.
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