The characterisation of Conservative activists as "mad, swivel-eyed loons" is not popular with voters - of any party
Last week it was alleged that one of David Cameron’s senior Conservative allies had called Conservative Party activists “mad, swivel-eyed loons” after they rebelled against the Prime Minister over Europe, prompting the Party Chairman Grant Shapps to defend Conservative activists as “brilliant volunteers”.
Today new YouGov research reveals that only one in five voters (22%) agree with the “loons” comment, including 14% of Conservative voters, while more (31%) disagree with the comment than agree.
Even among Labour Party voters the comment did not particularly appeal, with 37% agreeing but most reporting no opinion or disagreement.
Since the comments were reported some Conservative activists have defected to UKIP amid concerns that Mr Cameron has abandoned his party’s grassroots.
The two newspapers that reported the comments declined to name the senior Conservative alleged to have made them, and although Twitter users named Lord Feldman as the offender No 10 has denied that anyone in Downing Street made the comments.
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