Boris Johnson's approval rating among Tory voters down as many back second lockdown
Boris Johnson stands behind the podium at 10 Downing Street - Credit: PA Wire
Boris Johnson's approval rating among Tory voters continues to decline as many continue to disagree with his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Less than half (45%) of 2019 Tory voters think No 10 is doing a good job managing the virus while a further quarter (25%) do not think they are, a survey by pollsters Redfield & Wilton has found.
Polling 1,500 Conservative voters in the lead up to the annual Conservative Party conference, researchers found that Johnson's approval rating fell 37 points among Tory supporters and a further 55 points among the general public, giving him a net approval rating of +77% among party supporters and -11% with regular voters.
They also found that 42% of Tory voters think Johnson is performing worse now compared to before the pandemic.
More now support Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who enjoyed a +20% boost to his net approval rating among the most disgruntled Conservative voters but whose rating among the whole cohort is at -5%.
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The vast majority (64%) who think government is incompetent disapprove of the Tory Party’s position and performance on the coronavirus pandemic.
The survey found that a majority (51%) of Tory voters would support a second nationwide lockdown, with only 28% disapproving.
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A further 57% support Downing Street imposing stricter coronavirus restrictions, while under a third (31%) do not.
The poll comes as Downing Street mulls over introducing stricter lockdown measures in the face of escalating coronavirus case numbers.
Johnson also faces a second dilemma.
Although a majority (59%) support him running for re-election in 2024, a sizable minority (37%) would be happy to see him replaced before then.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak remains the top favourite with a net approval rating of +67% among Tory voters and +36% nationally.
Pollsters also found that younger 2019 Tory voters were more likely to consider voting for the Labour Party under Sir Keir Starmer than older voters: 43% of 18-to-24-year-olds would, compared to a fifth (20%) of those over 65.
Notably, the majority (51%) of those that currently view the government as incompetent would consider voting for the Labour Party under Keir Starmer.
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