Another Blow For Sunak As Tories Slump To Less Than Half Of Labour's Points In The Polls

Quite the start to 2024 for the PM.
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Rishi Sunak
via Associated Press

Labour’s lead over the Conservatives in the opinion polls has just had another boost, meaning it now has double the percentage points of its rivals.

According to the latest poll from YouGov, which asked more than 2,000 respondents about their Westminster voting intentions between January 2 and January 3, only 22% would support the Tories.

That’s a drop of two percentage points compared to a poll conducted between December 19 and 20. 

Meanwhile, Labour have only accrued more support in that time, shooting ahead with 46% in the same poll – meaning they added an extra three percentage points in just two weeks.

Elsewhere, support for the Liberal Democrats stayed steady on 10%, while Reform UK dropped from 11% to 9%.

The Green Party dropped one percentage point to 7% and the SNP were also stable on 3%.

The findings are yet another blow to PM Rishi Sunak, who has not had the best start to 2024.

Having failed to carry out four of his five pledges for 2023, he was also accused of ”bottling it” after he suggested a general election would probably not take place until October this year, scuppering prior expectations.

Sunak has been heavily criticised on X (formerly Twitter) for posting misleading claims about his policies and slammed for “selling nonsense” to voters.

YouGov found that it’s not just a party issue either; the public still favour Keir Starmer as PM over Sunak.

Around 30% of voters back the Labour leader, compared to 18% who support No.10′s current occupant. 

A third YouGov poll also found three-quarters of Brits think the UK is in a worst state now compared to when the Conservative Party came into office back in 2010.

An additional 41% said things were much worse now, while 34% who said things were somewhat worse.

Only 1% of respondents said the country was in a much better place compared to 14 years ago with 6% saying it was somewhat better.

The poll was conducted after Tory MP Danny Kruger issued a bleak warning that his party will be facing “obliteration” at the next general election.

As co-founder of the New Conservatives, he told Tory members at a private event: “The narrative that the public has now firmly adopted – that over 13 years things have got worse – is one we just have to acknowledge and admit.”

He praised free schools and Brexit but said if the Tories leave office soon, they will have “left the country sadder, less united and less conservative than when we found it”.