A third think ex-chancellor to blame for economic crisis

RISHI SUNAK is responsible for the cost of living crisis and rising inflation, more than a third of voters believe.

A poll has found that 37 per cent of Britons think the former chancellor is directly responsible for the rising cost of goods and services, and more than 70 per cent say that cost of living is the most important political issue to them.

The research, commissioned by the think tank More in Common and carried out by Public First, found that 37 per cent agree Mr Sunak is responsible for the rising cost of living and inflation, while 29 per cent do not.

Only a quarter think he did everything he could to prevent the cost of living from rising while working in Boris Johnson’s government.

The figures are the latest in a string of concerning poll results for Team Sunak, which has appeared to fail to capitalise on his popularity as chancellor of the exchequer, trailing Liz Truss’s campaign for the Tory leadership.

A separate poll yesterday by Redfield and Wilton Strategies for The Daily Telegraph found that in a general election with Mr Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer as the main party leaders, 39 per cent of the public would vote for Labour and 32 per cent would vote Conservative. But if Ms Truss was Tory leader, 34 per cent would pick Sir Keir and 33 per cent the Foreign Secretary.

Luke Tryl, the UK director of More in Common, said: “Our polling and focus groups have tracked the growing sense of alarm from the public about the worsening cost of living crisis in recent months and it has now reached boiling point. A wait and see approach from whoever takes over as prime minister won’t cut it.

“The public wants to see immediate action to help them through the autumn and winter and they think that action should include tax cuts.”

Mr Sunak and Ms Truss will participate in several hustings attended by Tory members in the coming weeks, with the final results expected to be known by September 5. Ms Truss is now the bookmakers’ favourite.