‘New kid on the block’ Rishi Sunak is Tory activists’ favourite to be the next Conservative Party leader as Boris Johnson sees his approval rating plummet by more than 30 points during ‘pingdemic’ chaos
- Rishi Sunak backed by almost one third of Tory Party members as next leader
- The poll conducted by ConHome is the first run since the 2019 general election
- Separate poll showed Boris Johnson’s approval rating fell during ‘pingdemic’
Rishi Sunak is the clear frontrunner among Tory activists to be the next Conservative Party leader, according to a new poll.
A survey of the Tory grassroots by the Conservative Home website found almost a third – 31 per cent – believe the Chancellor should succeed Boris Johnson.
Mr Sunak was far ahead of his rivals, with only two other frontbenchers making it into double figures – International Trade Secretary Liz Truss with 12 per cent and Paymaster General Penny Mordaunt with 11 per cent.
Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, was in fourth place with just eight per cent of the vote.
The findings were published as a separate survey conducted by the website showed Mr Johnson’s approval rating among the Tory faithful has plummeted by more than 30 points since he tried to dodge self-isolation.
The poll found the Prime Minister’s rating had dropped from 39.2 per cent last month to just 3.4 per cent, taking him into the bottom five members of the Cabinet.
A survey of the Tory grassroots by the Conservative Home website found almost a third – 31 per cent – believe the Chancellor should succeed Boris Johnson
It is the first time Tory activists have been polled on who the next party leader should be since the 2019 general election
It is the first time the Conservative Home website has asked Tory members who should be the next party leader since the 2019 general election.
Paul Goodman, the editor of the website, wrote in The Times that the numbers suggest Mr Sunak is ‘well placed’ to takeover from Mr Johnson.
‘At least seven in ten of these Conservative members have backed Sunak’s response to Covid-19 in each monthly survey since the pandemic began,’ he said.
‘That will be the main reason why he has topped this new poll – together perhaps with a sense that most of the leading alternatives have already had a shot at the leadership.
‘The chancellor is the new kid on the block. And some activists may think, mulling the options: who else is there?’
It comes after Mr Johnson’s fortunes took a hit following controversy over his attempt to avoid self-isolation after he was identified as a close contact of Health Secretary Sajid Javid, who tested positive last month.
The PM and Mr Sunak initially joined a Cabinet Office ‘pilot scheme’ that would have allowed them to avoid quarantine. But hours later, the two men agreed to isolate after a public backlash.
In the approval survey, only Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick, Conservative Party co-chairman Amanda Milling and Education Secretary Gavin Williamson are rated below Mr Johnson.
Mr Sunak was far ahead of his rivals, with only two other frontbenchers making it into double figures – International Trade Secretary Liz Truss with 12 per cent and Paymaster General Penny Mordaunt with 11 per cent.
The slump also follows controversy over vaccine passports. Two months ago, the PM had a net approval rating of 55.6.
In contrast, Mr Sunak’s reputation appears to be almost unaffected. He remains the second most popular member of the Cabinet with Tory activists, with a net approval rating of 74.1.
The most recent survey also found that a narrow majority of Tory activists now believe the PM is dealing with the pandemic ‘badly’.
While 44.4 per cent of activists said the PM was handling the crisis well, 48 per cent said he was dealing with it badly.
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