A new poll has found almost two-thirds of voters want a general election before the end of the year. Some 62% of people told polling company Ipsos that they wanted to see a general election held in 2022, once Rishi Sunak had taken office as Prime Minister.
The proportion of the public calling for a general election has increased since Liz Truss announced her resignation on October 20. At the beginning of August, 51% of people told Ipsos they would back a general election. The latest figures came from a survey of 1,000 adults between October 20 and 21.
The Government has until January 2025 to hold an election, and Mr Sunak ruled out an early poll in his first speech to Conservative MPs on Monday. Simon Hoare, a senior MP who supported Mr Sunak, told reporters: "He is actually going to hit the ground running. We have no time to lose. Certainly, he said that there will be no early general election."
Opposition parties have been calling for a general election since Ms Truss's resignation, claiming her successor has "no mandate". Following Mr Sunak's coronation as Tory leader on Monday, Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner said: "I think everybody who I've spoken to, the public, have said we should be having a general election.
"There is no mandate now. The Conservatives have completely broken their promises, broken our economy, and now they want to see a general election."
Another Ipsos poll, carried out between October 19 and 20, suggests Mr Sunak will begin his premiership trailing opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer. The poll found 36% of people thought Mr Sunak would make a good Prime Minister, a higher total than any other Conservative but slightly behind Sir Keir's total of 46%.
More people also think Mr Sunak will make a bad Prime Minister, with 32% saying that about him while 28% think Sir Keir would do a bad job. Keiran Pedley, director of political research at Ipsos, said: "In choosing Rishi Sunak as the next Prime Minister, the Conservative Party have picked a contender with the widest appeal, but the public are still uncertain whether he will do a good job in office. The challenges laid out here are the fact his ratings start slightly behind Labour's Keir Starmer and he will also have to unify his party, as the former prime minister Boris Johnson received similar levels of support among Conservative voters."
Some 54% of Conservative voters told Ipsos they though Mr Sunak would do a good job as prime minister, compared to 52% who thought Mr Johnson would do a good job if he was brought back.
