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Boris Johnson's popularity with women is falling, as more find him 'dislikeable'

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves Downing Street in London, Britain, September 25, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves Downing Street in London, Britain, September 25, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

Boris Johnson’s popularity with women is falling, with more finding the Prime Minister “dislikeable” than they did since the end of August.

A YouGov poll showed that nearly half of women (47%) think Mr Johnson is dislikeable - up seven points since the end of August, and women are more likely than men to dislike the PM.

The poll, which was carried out before Mr Johnson sparked fury in the Commons by refusing to tone down what critics call his “inflammatory” language, found that 35% of women think he would be the best Prime Minister, compared to 44% of men.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks at the parliament, which reconvenes after the UK Supreme Court ruled that his suspension of the parliament was unlawful, in London, Britain, September 25, 2019, in this screen grab taken from video. Parliament TV via REUTERS
Boris Johnson has faced criticism for his language over Brexit (Picture: Parliament TV via REUTERS)

Mr Johnson has refused to back down over his description of attempts to block a no-deal Brexit as the “surrender act”.

He also provoked anger by dismissing a Labour MP's complaint that his "inflammatory" language risked provoking attacks as "humbug" and for suggesting that the best way to honour murdered MP Jo Cox would be to deliver Brexit.

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He has faced widespread criticism from people including more than 100 bishops and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who claim his language is provoking threats to MPs and destroying any possibility of cross-party cooperation.

Chris Curtis, Political Research Manager at YouGov, said: “Polling has consistently shown a small but notable gender gap when it comes to views of Boris Johnson, with women generally having a more negative view of the Prime Minister.

“It is difficult to know how much of this is down to Boris Johnson’s personality, and how much of it is down to other factors, such as Brexit, which women are also more likely to oppose.”

YouGov has also carried out a snap poll asking whether MPs should be careful of the language they use and whether the Prime Minister “has a duty to try and create a safe environment in which MPs work”.

The poll found that 71% of men agreed, but that rose to 76% of women.

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