Politicians no longer trusted, says Minister
A lack of public faith in politics must be addressed or it risks “lasting damage” to society, a UK Government minister has warned.
New research shows fewer than one in 10 (9%) of the public have “significant faith” in any layer of government acting in their best interests.
The polling carried out for the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) think tank in March also found that 40% of people had “no trust at all” in the House of Commons.
David Lidington, the de facto deputy prime minister, said the findings from the Uk-wide poll should worry everyone.
He said: “These stark polling results show that too many people simply don’t know where power sits, or have faith in the people at all tiers of government who discharge it. “Whatever party you are in, that should be troubling.
“If individuals feel less powerful and less connected to their elected representatives, we must take steps to understand why – and take steps to change it – or risk lasting damage to mainstream politics.”
The poll also found 74% of respondents said they had “not had contact” from their MP, and 19% of 18 to 24-year-olds thought Brexit had already taken place.
CPS director Robert Colvile added: “Given the level of media coverage around Brexit, the fact that 19% of young adults thought we’d already left the EU is frankly astounding.”