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Exclusive: Boris Johnson poll rating falls to 9-month low (and women like him less)

Boris Johnson poll rating falls to 9-month low (and women like him less) (PA Wire)
Boris Johnson poll rating falls to 9-month low (and women like him less) (PA Wire)

Public satisfaction with Boris Johnson and the Government has fallen to a nine-month low, an exclusive poll for The Standard revealed on Wednesday.

The Ipsos MORI survey, which showed a bigger fall in satisfaction among women, was carried out after Matt Hancock resigned as Health Secretary following an affair with an aide during which he broke social distancing guidance and as concerns grew over the Government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

It found that 55 per cent of adults are dissatisfied with the Government, up seven percentage points from last month, with just 35 per cent satisfied, down nine points.

The findings give a net satisfaction rating of -20, compared to minus four in June, the Government’s worst score since last October.

The gender breakdown shows a particularly stark drop in net satisfaction among women of 21 points, compared to 11 for men.

The trend is similar for the Prime Minister, with dissatisfied on 54 per cent, up seven points, satisfied 38 per cent, down six points, giving a net score of -16, down from minus three last month, again the worst since October last year.

Net satisfaction for Mr Johnson among women fell by 17 points, while for men nine points.

However, headline voting intentions show the Conservatives are still enjoying a nine-point lead over Labour, on 40 per cent compared to 31 per cent, with both parties down four points on June.

The continuing gap highlights the mountain facing Sir Keir Starmer to give his party a chance of winning power again.

Last October, Labour was five points ahead of the Tories as the Government was embroiled in rows over free school meals against footballer Marcus Rashford and a public spat with Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham over Covid-19 support.

The Liberal Democrats are now up seven points to 13 per cent after their shock by-election victory in the previous Tory stronghold of Chesham and Amersham in mid-June.

Some Tory MPs blamed the revelations about Mr Hancock for the party failing to win the Batley and Spen by-election on July 1, which Labour held by just 323 votes.

The poll was carried out between July 2 and 8.

The Prime Minister also delayed the full ending of lockdown a month until July 19 and Covid-19 cases have jumped, fuelled by the Delta variant, with the Government accused of having been too slow to put India on the “red” list of countries to restrict travel to the UK.

The survey found 43 per cent of adults believe the Government is handling the coronavirus crisis badly, up five points since June, with 41 per cent saying it is doing well, down three points, giving a net score of minus two compared to plus six last month.

The finding suggests Mr Johnson’s “vaccine bounce” from the UK’s world-leading jabs roll-out may be dissipating.

Keiran Pedley, director of politics for Ipsos MORI, said: “It will concern Johnson and his government that current public satisfaction scores are the lowest they have been since last October, although the Conservatives will be happy that they are still comfortably ahead of Labour in terms of voter preference.

“However, it is less clear where we will be come party conference season.

“We should expect what happens when final Covid restrictions are eased, and how that is managed this summer, to play a significant role in where public opinion stands this autumn.”

Despite the economy starting to fire up as restrictions have been eased, public optimism about the future has dropped.

Forty-seven per cent expect the economy to improve in the next 12 months, down six points on June, with 36 per cent thinking it will worsen, up five points.

Net economic optimism now stands at +11 compared to +22 last month.

* Ipsos MORI interviewed a representative sample of 1,053 adults aged 18+ across Great Britain. Interviews were conducted by telephone: 2nd July - 8th July 2021. Data are weighted to match the profile of the population.

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