Sunak would make a good prime minister, say almost half of Tory party’s voters
ALMOST half of Conservative voters believe Rishi Sunak would make a good prime minister, according to a poll which puts Penny Mordaunt behind both the former chancellor and Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary.
A survey of more than 4,400 people found that, of those who had heard of each candidate, 48 per cent of those who backed the Tories in 2019 considered that Mr Sunak would be a good prime minister, compared with 39 per cent who said the same of Ms Truss and 33 per cent of Ms Mordaunt.
The JL Partners poll, which also delved into the characteristics that voters are seeking from the next PM, found that 19 per cent of Conservative supporters and 24 per cent of voters overall most wanted a leader who is “truthful”.
The survey, which was carried out last week, highlights the scale of the challenge facing Boris Johnson’s successor, putting Labour 11 points ahead of the Conservatives, on 42 points compared to the Tories’ 31.
James Johnson, the co-founder of JL Partners and a former Downing Street pollster, said it showed that the public were “withholding their judgment” on Ms Mordaunt, who has become a surprise frontrunner among MPs. In an article for telegraph.co.uk, Mr Johnson said: “Amongst those who have heard of Mordaunt the overwhelming view is one of neutrality.”
An MRP model, which maps survey results onto every seat in the country, found that, among all voters, Mr Sunak had the highest net approval score in 76 per cent of the seats won by the Tories in 2019, compared to 19 per cent in which Mr Tugendhat came out on top and 5 per cent in which Ms Mordaunt had the best score.
Neither Ms Truss nor Ms Badenoch came out on top in seats currently held by the Conservatives.
One fifth of voters who backed the Conservatives in the 2019 election said Mr Sunak would make a bad prime minister – slightly more than Ms Truss’s 18 per cent. Of the country at large, almost one in three (32 per cent) of voters who had heard of Mr Sunak said he would make a good prime minister, while 22 per cent, 21 per cent and 20 per cent said the same of Ms Truss, Ms Mordaunt and Tom Tugendhat respectively.
A similar proportion – 32 per cent – of voters said that Mr Sunak would make a bad prime minister, compared to 35 per cent, 29 per cent and 25 per cent who said the same of Ms Truss, Ms Badenoch and Ms Mordaunt respectively.
The results appear to contrast with a YouGov survey of Conservative members which identified Ms Mordaunt, the international trade minister, as the clear favourite to become leader. She has held on to second place following two rounds of voting by MPs, leaving more prominent rivals such as Ms Truss in her wake.
The survey of 2019 Conservative voters, carried out between July 12 and July 14, found that the top three attributes voters wanted to see in a new prime minister were someone who was truthful (50 per cent), competent (46 per cent) and “trusted to take the big decisions” (45 per cent). The fourth most commonly selected characteristic was someone who is “realistic about what can be achieved”, which was selected by 40 per cent of voters.
The wish lists of attributes selected by Conservative voters and those who supported other parties in 2019 was strikingly similar, with both groups prioritising the same characteristics.
Among all voters, the most popular policy priority was to “turn the economy around”, with addressing the NHS backlog and restoring trust and integrity in public life coming second and third respectively. Cutting taxes for ordinary people was the fourth priority, selected by 38 per cent of voters overall, and 40 per cent of Conservative voters.
The poll also highlighted Conservative voters were more likely to believe rights for transgender people should remain as they are rather than be expanded, and that the UK should leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Ms Mordaunt has been accused of failing to stand up for women in the debate over trans rights – which she denies – and Ms Truss says she is prepared to quit the ECHR.
Some 29 per cent of 1,407 voters who had heard of Mr Tugendhat said he would make a good prime minister, compared to 21 per cent of the 1,229 voters who had heard of Ms Badenoch.
Yesterday, Mr Sunak’s bid was endorsed by Ben Houchen, the Tory Mayor of Tees Valley.