Boris Johnson still enjoys popularity within his own party but not among the wider public
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has been revealed to be the front-runner to secure the UK’s top job if Boris Johnson is wiped away by the ‘Partygate’ scandal.
The Ipsos MORI poll, conducted for the Evening Standard between January 19 and 25, shows that Sunak has significantly improved his November results and is topping the list of “potential alternative Conservative prime ministers.”
© Getty Images / Dan Kitwood / Staff
“Looking at potential alternative Conservative prime ministers, Rishi Sunak scores best with 33% (up four points) agreeing the chancellor has what it takes, and 34% disagreeing (down four points). This is also an improvement in recent months, although not as strong as his ratings earlier in the pandemic,” reads the report.
Interestingly, Sunak’s numbers are very close to the leader of the opposition, Labour’s Keir Starmer, with 32% agreeing that Starmer could become a good prime minister and 36% disagreeing.
Boris Johnson, despite all the pressure over his alleged participation in Downing Street lockdown parties, has managed to retain third place, thanks to the support of 23% of 1,059 respondents. However, the bad news for Johnson is the fact that 64% of the poll participants do not think he has “what it takes to be a good prime minister.”
Health Secretary Sajid Javid shares third place with Johnson but his disapproval figures are not as bitter as his boss’ – he was not considered good enough by 42%.
Nevertheless, for Conservative Party supporters, Johnson remains the most popular by a wide margin: 63% believe he has all the qualities necessary for the top job (12 percentage points ahead of Sunak) with just 25% having the opposite opinion.
Looking at headline voting intentions, the Labour Party has maintained its autumn gains and is leading with 40% of support, while only 31% of respondents said they would vote for the Tories in a general election.
