Just how unpopular is Liz Truss's government?
Less than a month into her job as prime minister, Liz Truss is facing a crash in the value of the pound, soaring inflation, rising interest rates and a looming recession.
Just two days after entering Number 10, Truss revealed her £60 billion plan to help keep energy bills down amid a cost of living crisis, but her long awaited proposal was overshadowed by the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Now the government is facing criticism from the International Monetary Fund over its raft of tax cuts revealed by chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, which disproportionately benefit the rich.
The Treasury said this would be paid for by a ramping up of public borrowing, which left investors spooked and prompted a crash in the pound, which is expected to add to the UK's crippling inflation.
On top of that, on Wednesday the Bank of England launched an emergency government bond-buying programme to prevent borrowing costs from spiralling out of control and stave off a “material risk to UK financial stability”.
Truss certainly has a lot on her plate since becoming the UK's fourth prime minister in a little over six years, but what do the British public think of her and her government so far?
According to polling by Ipsos conducted from 7 to 15 September 2022, 70% of the public are dissatisfied with how the new government is preforming, while just 20% think it is doing a good job.
As for Truss herself, many voters are yet to make their minds up.
Some 44% of the survey's participants said they couldn't decide if she was doing well, compared to 29% who are dissatisfied with how she is doing and 27% who are satisfied.
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How does this compare to other prime ministers?
Truss has the lowest approval ratings of the UK's most recent PMs who have taken office mid-parliament.
According to pollsters, 31% of the public were satisfied with Boris Johnson as he started as prime minister, compared with 27% for his successor.
Theresa May enjoyed a 54% approval rating in her early days, compared to 36% for Gordon Brown and 37% for John Major.
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What about a general election?
The latest Westminster polling figures make for grim reading for Truss.
According to the latest data from YouGov, 45% of voters would back Labour in a general election, compared to 28% who would back the Tories. This represents a severe hit to the Conservatives’ numbers since Kwarteng revealed his mini budget.
On specific issues, Ipsos polling foundvoters had more trust in Labour to manage Brexit, tackle the cost of living, set the right level of taxation and improve the NHS, reduce inequality between regions and protect the environment.
Labour was also in the lead on managing immigration and reducing crime - issues often seen as natural territory of the Conservative Party.
The only two issues the Tories were leading on was managing inflation and growing the economy.
Keiran Pedley, Director of Politics at Ipsos UK, said: “With the Conservatives ahead on growing the economy and managing inflation and Labour ahead on the cost of living, NHS and levelling-up, we can see the contours of a potential future general election campaign in these numbers.
"Meanwhile, whilst there is no obvious sign of a significant polling bounce for Liz Truss in the numbers here, they are an improvement on her predecessor’s final numbers.
"The new Prime Minister will hope that recent events mean that her political honeymoon is delayed rather than denied; as we head into what is likely to be a challenging winter."