It has been barely a month since Liz Truss took over the reins from Boris Johnson as the UK’s prime minister and it seems that she is already facing a major crisis in regaining the faith of the people.
According to the Observer poll, the approval ratings of Truss and the Tories have plunged, and the Labour party has jumped to a 19-point lead. It polled 2,000 people online between September 28 and September 30.
The poll shows that 55 per cent of voters disapprove of the prime minister while only 18 per cent, approve of her, which is lower than Boris Johnson when his premiership came to an end.
Her net approval rating fell from -9 to -37 within a week, as a result of fallout from her government’s mini-budget, and Labour gaining popularity with voters across a range of issues.
Apart from Truss, Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s approval ratings also plummeted massively, with 55 per pent disapproving and only 27 per cent approving of him, reports The Guardian.
Around 75 per cent of the voters surveyed said they believed that the government has lost control over the economic situation, while only 18 per cent said the government is doing well. Even 71 per cent of the Tory voters disapproved of the government’s handling of the economy.
The recent polls are reflective of the latest mini-budget announcement from the Conservative poverty government that caused massive economic shocks, including the pound falling to an all-time low against the dollar.
The Observer poll revealed that 61 per cent termed it a bad budget, while only 12 per cent approved it. Whereas, 56 per cent of the 2019 Conservative voters also regarded it as bad.
“This is the worst poll result we have shown for a Conservative prime minister since the 2010 general election. Liz Truss has managed to reach the depths of the poor personal ratings of both Theresa May and Boris Johnson at the end of their tenure, within weeks of taking office and within days of her government’s first major action. While the prime minister’s own approval ratings have plummeted, she has also contributed to the Conservative government as a whole losing its political credibility and reputation for economic competence almost overnight. If Liz Truss can turn it around, all of us are waiting with bated breath to see how she can.”
Opinium weights its polls to be more representative of those who have voted in recent elections. This has meant they have tended to show smaller leads for the Labour party.
(With inputs from agencies)
