The chancellor’s popularity has fallen below that of Keir Starmer for the first time since the Labour leader took office
The aftermath of the spring statement and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis seem to be continuing to have a devastating effect on Rishi Sunak’s popularity among the British public. The chancellor’s spring statement has been criticised as failing to support lower-income households through the worst cost-of-living crisis in decades and caused widespread anger among those who stand to suffer most from spiralling prices.
We previously reported that the chancellor’s popularity took a 10-point hit in the immediate aftermath of the spring statement, and our latest polling reveals another 14-point drop since our previous survey on 23-24 March – adding up to a whopping 24 points since just before the statement was announced.
Most Britons (57%) now have an unfavourable opinion of Sunak, compared with just 28% who see him in a positive light, giving him a net favourability score of -29, compared to -15 in the previous survey.
Rishi Sunak has been consistently popular among the British public, but now, for the first time since Keir Starmer assumed the Labour leadership, he is polling higher than the chancellor. The Labour leader is currently sitting at a net favourability of -25, from -21 on 23-24 March.
Although Sunak is still in positive net favourability territory with Conservative voters (+6), his favourability has fallen a staggering 23 points from +29 on 23-24 March, and from +41 just prior to the spring statement. Net favourability among Labour voters has dropped from -53 to -64 since our last poll.
Boris Johnson’s popularity among Conservative voters has also taken a big hit, with his net favourability dropping from +28 to +7 over the same period. Overall, the prime minister’s net favourability among the wider British public has fallen from -34 to -42.
