Not Even Tories Like Rishi Sunak – Poll
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak holds a Q&A session with local business leaders during a visit to Coca-Cola HBC in Lisburn, Northern Ireland
A survey finds British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is viewed unfavorably by members of his Conservative Party, while his cabinet also faces low approval ratings.A new poll of supporters of the UK’s Conservatives has found Prime Minister Rishi Sunak with a record low approval rating among party members.The survey found Sunak with a rating of minus 26.5 in December, meaning 26.5% more of Conservative Party members disapprove of him than view him favorably. The rating is a drop of just over one percent versus the previous month according to results from the ConservativeHome website.The poll also recorded low popularity among Sunak’s cabinet members.“Only 17 members of the Cabinet are above a lowly ten points – a record in itself,” read a post on the popular blog. “Morale seems to be at rock bottom and so are ratings – with eight Ministers, one fewer than our record total of nine, in the red. Rishi Sunak’s score is his lowest ever.”
WorldNew Blow to Sunak as Court Rules Rwanda Asylum-Seekers Policy Unlawful15 November 2023, 12:59 GMTThe Tory Prime Minister is under pressure from party activists to deliver further tax cuts as well as reduce immigration to the United Kingdom.Sunak was the first British Prime Minister of Asian descent when elected by party members in 2022, and also one of the youngest. With a net worth of about 529 million British pounds shared with his wife Akshata Murty, an Indian business heiress, he is also thought to be the wealthiest British prime minister ever.He has struggled to govern since succeeding fellow Tory Prime Minister Liz Truss last year, who occupied 10 Downing Street for less than two months. Truss was elevated to the position just two days before the death of Queen Elizabeth II, taking over for Conservative Party Prime Minister Boris Johnson who was mired in scandal.Polls have shown Sunak’s party trailing Labour for more than a year, with recent surveys showing the opposition party about 20% ahead. Sunak is required to hold a general election within 13 months, meaning he’ll likely face British voters in 2024.
EconomyUK Economy Contracts in Q3 Signaling Looming Recession22 December 2023, 12:34 GMTBut UK Labour Party leader Keir Starmer has also faced controversy. The British lawmaker was met with opposition from within his party after ejecting former leader Jeremy Corbyn. Starmer had previously signaled more cordial relations with Corbyn, who remains popular among younger and more progressive members of the party.The Labour Party is currently engaged in legal action against former Corbyn loyalists within the party after a report was leaked providing damning evidence of internal bias against the former party leader.Starmer has been criticized for alleged links to the UK’s secretive MI5 intelligence service. Investigative reporting website The Grayzone has documented how intelligence-linked operatives in the UK worked to undermine and discredit Jeremy Corbyn.The most popular minister polled in Sunak’s cabinet was Kemi Badenoch, a self-styled “anti-woke” politician currently serving as Secretary of State for Business and Trade and Minister for Women and Equalities. Badenoch has led efforts in recent months to secure a bilateral trade deal with the United States; the UK was forced to negotiate individual trade pacts with various countries after leaving the European Union in 2020.
