Kemi Badenoch’s popularity among Tory members has plummeted after less than three months as party leader.
A survey by the ConservativeHome website shows she has fallen to seventh place in a league table of shadow cabinet members.
Her score of +32 is well down on the +73 she posted after beating Robert Jenrick to become Tory leader last November.
Henry Hill, ConservativeHome’s deputy editor, said: “This is a dramatic shift however you slice it. Badenoch has led every shadow cabinet league table since the very first one after the election, and normally by a margin of about 20 points over her next most popular colleague.”
Shadow chancellor Mel Stride is now top of the league table with a popularity rating of +57.9, ahead of Robert Jenrick - who Badenoch beat to become leader - on +51.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp is in third place, followed by Laura Trott and Andrew Griffith.
Meanwhile, the survey of Tory members also showed that their optimism about winning the next election has also plummeted during Badenoch’s time in charge.
Just 11% of them now think the party will win a majority, down from 38% when she became leader.
Henry Hill said: “None of this is set in stone. Unlike government, where ministers are locked into briefs and subject to the relentless flow of events, opposition can be a fickle business.
“One strong month could be all it takes to put Badenoch back on top. But there is no denying that, on current evidence, the mood of the membership is souring.”