The Brexit crisis has seen public faith in the political system plummet to below its level during the MPs’ expenses scandal, a new study has shown.
An alarming 72% told the respected Hansard Society that the UK’s democratic system needed “quite a lot” or “a great deal” of improvement.
It is the worst figure in the 15 years the charity has carried out its annual political engagement audit.
The previous peak was 69% in the 2010 study which was taken in the aftermath of MPs’ expenses scandal and the financial crises.
Brits have more confidence in the military (74%) and judges (62%) than in politicians to act in the public interest, the audit said (MPs 34%; the government 33%; Peers 33%; political parties 29%). And just 25% have confidence in MPs’ handling of Brexit.
Growing dissatisfaction with MPs is also leading people to entertain “radical solutions” which challenge the core tenets of democracy, the charity warned.
The audit found:
54% said ‘Britain needs a strong leader willing to break the rules’.
42% think ‘many of the country’s problems could be dealt with more effectively if the government didn’t have to worry so much about votes in parliament’.
50% believe ‘the main parties and politicians don’t care about people like me’.
75% said parties ‘so divided they cannot serve the best interests of the country’.
Hansard Society director Dr Ruth Fox said: “This year’s audit of political engagement shows that the public are not apathetic about politics, but they are increasingly dissatisfied with the way our system of governing works - so much so that sizeable numbers are willing to entertain quite radical solutions.
“Preferring a strong leader who is willing to break the rules or thinking that the Government should be able to tackle the country’s problems without worrying about the approval of Parliament, would challenge core tenets of our democracy.”
Fox warned the anti-system sentiment, pessimism about the future and strong feeling the system favours the rich and powerful was creating a “potentially toxic recipe” for the future of British politics.
She added: “Although the core indicators - including certainty to vote - remain stable, pessimism about the country’s future combines worryingly with anti-system sentiment.
“The public feel strongly that the system of governing favours the rich and powerful and that political parties don’t care about the average person.
“Unless something changes, this is a potentially toxic recipe for the future of British politics.”
The audit was based on a poll carried out by Ipsos MORI on behalf of the Hansard Society.
The audit also found that nearly two-thirds of people thought the British system of government was “rigged to advantage the rich and powerful” and 47% felt they had no influence at all over national decision-making.