After calming the storm, the Prime Minister faces a fight to convince voters to back his party

Polls show Rishi Sunak is trusted more than Keir Starmer but the Tories’ credibility has been dashed

‘Ihave work to do to restore trust, after all that has happened.” Those were the words of Rishi Sunak as he stood in Downing Street preparing to step inside for the first time as Prime Minister less than three weeks ago. With the Autumn Statement fast approaching, his biggest challenge is to convince voters that the Conservative Party – not he alone – is the solution to Britain’s economic woes.

A new poll for The Sunday Telegraph shows that, after introducing measures to prop up the economy during the Covid pandemic, the public trusts him more than the untested approach of Sir Keir Starmer. But with Labour leading by more than 20 points in the opinion polls, voters also say that they trust Sir Keir’s party on the economy more than they trust the Conservatives.

That dichotomy is one Mr Sunak must address before the next election, or face becoming – like Winston Churchill in 1945 – a popular prime minister who is not considered the man of the moment.

Voters in focus groups conducted this week for The Telegraph by Public First said they thought Mr Sunak did stand a chance of turning the economy around. “He’s got a financial brain and listens to people,” says Steve, a retired senior manager from Winchester.

“He’s got two years now to try to turn it round, to be sensible, be a statesman, which I think he can be.”

Ben, a working-class voter from West Yorkshire, says he wants Mr Sunak to “restore stability” and “reduce the tax burden”. But if he fails, both are willing to abandon the Tories.

“The Conservatives have done a bad job so give Labour a go, is my opinion,” Ben says. “They are the only other option… but I don’t think they’ll be great to be honest.”

Steve adds: “If, after two years, it’s in a better place, and it is working, I will vote Conservative. But if it’s not, I’m not sure what I will do.”

Nationally, the polling suggests many voters are not willing to give Mr Sunak as long as two years to convince them. As opposition parties clamour for an early election, 65 per cent said they favour a vote before 2024, including 40 per cent who want one now.

Of those that want an early election, the most popular reason is that the Tories have made mistakes on the economy. For Mr Sunak, the key to rebuilding his party’s credibility may lie in turning his personal image from an “intelligent man” – according to Natasha, a teacher from The Telegraph’s focus group – into an empathetic one.

Asked what words and phrases people associate with him, one of the top three responses was “competent”, but by far the most popular word to describe him was “rich”, followed by “out of touch”.

Tracey, a housing officer from the West Midlands, said: “The fact he hid away from the money he and his wife had – there’s that big trust issue. I feel he’s a genuine person, but I don’t get the feeling he’s for the working people. He doesn’t live a day in our shoes, he doesn’t know what we have to go through, he doesn’t have to struggle.”

Kerrie, a school receptionist from Greater Manchester, said: “I don’t imagine, for one second, that he’s having to worry about whether Aldi’s own-brand items have gone up.”

Concerns about Mr Sunak’s private wealth have a worrying effect for the Tories on how voters expect him to deal with the economic crisis.

While he leads Sir Keir on macroeconomic questions of who would better handle “the economy” and reduce the deficit, the Prime Minister trails on four real-world tests of which man is best placed to provide more jobs, reduce the cost of living, reduce the number of people in poverty and increase pay and wages.

James Frayne, a political strategist who conducted this week’s research, said Mr Sunak must translate his lead on abstract economics into more concrete evidence that he will make voters feel better off. “The public don’t love Rishi Sunak but think he’s more competent than Keir Starmer, which accounts for the Conservative lead on macroeconomic stability,” he says.

“But the Conservative brand has been so damaged in recent months that Labour is way ahead on the ‘real economy’ – wages, poverty, jobs and growth. It’s a reasonable bet this trend will be even clearer after the Autumn Statement. Given it’s the ‘real economy’ people care about most, it’s also a reasonable bet Labour’s lead will stabilise and solidify.”

Mr Sunak’s refrain that while he slashes government budgets, he will remain committed to helping “those who need it most” may go some way to improving voters’ perception of him as a Whitehall wonk without first-hand experience of hardship.

All panellists in The Telegraph’s focus group had noticed and were grateful for the Government’s £66 energy bill discount last month but had concerns about their household expenditure, and regarded the Autumn Statement and beyond with a sense of trepidation.