PMQs: Rishi Sunak grilled on Liz Truss time as Prime Minister
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The Tories face being wiped out in a snap general election, new polling suggests. The poll by Find Out Now and Electoral Calculus found Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives would be overtaken by Labour and the SNP if Britons took to the polls now – pushing them out of power to become Westminster’s third biggest party.
The survey of 28,000 British adults, carried out from January 27 to February 5, put Sir Keir Starmer’s party on 49 percent, while the Tories are on 23 percent.
The MRP poll forecast that Labour would gain 306 seats, taking its total to a huge 509 out of 650.
The Tories would plummet to just 45 MPs, from 365 in the 2019 election when Boris Johnson led the party to a landslide.
Meanwhile, the SNP would take over as the second-largest party in the Commons with 50 MPs.
The Lib Dems would jump from 11 seats to 23. Reform UK, which was formed from Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party, would secure six percent of the votes but no MPs.
Chris Holbrook, Find Out Now chief executive, said the forecasts made “shocking reading for Conservatives”.
He told the Telegraph: “Mending perceptions of corruption may be their best hope.”
Martin Baxter, the chief executive of Electoral Calculus, added: “The Conservatives have been far behind in the polls for the last four months, with little sign of improvement.
“They have lost support across the country, particularly in traditionally strong Conservative areas, which bodes very badly for the next general election.
“That election could be a near-wipeout and worse than 1997, with the Conservatives not even being the main opposition party.”
It comes as the Tories have been around 20 points behind Labour in polls in recent months.
The MRP poll was carried out before the Prime Minister, who entered No 10 in October following the oustings of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, unveiled his Cabinet reshuffle and Whitehall shake-up on Tuesday.
New Tory chairman Greg Hands warned the party face a “difficult” set of local polls in May but said he was focused on building a platform for a general election next year.
He told GB News: “It’s not a secret to say that this year’s local elections will be a difficult set of local elections for the party.
“But the important thing is that we do as well as we can and set the platform for a general election next year.”
Mr Hands also insisted that the party “is overall in good shape”.
He told Sky News: “Membership is improving, the financial position of the party, I think, is improving. I’m definitely up for it. I know Rishi Sunak is up for it.
“We’re really looking forward to taking on Sir Keir Starmer’s unreformed Labour Party and the other parties as well.
“I think the Conservative Party will have a really good story to tell at next year’s general election and we’re definitely looking forward to it.”
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