The Tories hit rock bottom today with support for their party across Britain falling to a record low of just 20 per cent, according to a new poll.
The Ipsos survey for The Standard showed backing for the Conservatives nosediving by seven points from 27 per cent in January.
The result is the worst for the Tories since 1978 when this regular poll tracker started and puts them a gaping 27 percentage points behind Labour.
Previous Conservative low points were 22 per cent under John Major in December 1994 and May 1995, 23 per cent in July 1997 when New Labour was settling into office under Tony Blair, and 23 per cent in December 2022 shortly after Rishi Sunak took over from Liz Truss’s brief and economically catastrophic administration.
The causes of shifts in political support are often hard to nail down.
But factors in February which could have contributed to the latest drop in Tory backing include official figures showing Britain went into recession at the end of 2022, two more by-election losses for the Conservatives in Wellingborough and Kingswood, and Lee Anderson’s “Islamists” rant against Sadiq Khan.
The headline voting intention figures put Labour on 47 per cent, down two points.
The Liberal Democrats are on nine per cent, up two points, and Greens eight per cent, up one point.
Reform UK doubled its support to eight per cent, which will further alarm Tory MPs, as will their own party’s slide into single figures among adults aged under 35.
Mr Sunak has also seen his rating as Prime Minister reach a record low of 73 per cent dissatisfied, 19 per cent satisfied, giving a net score of -54.
Sir Keir Starmer’s rating as Labour leader has also dropped, with 55 per cent dissatisfied, his worst score, and 29 per cent satisfied, a net score of -26, slighty above his lowest finding of -29 in May 2021.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey’s rating is also down, with 40 per cent dissatisfied, compared to 35 per cent in January, 18 per cent satisfied, a net score of -22.
Dissatisfaction with the Government has also hit 83 per cent, up five points, with just ten per cent satisfied, a net score of -73, a new low.
There are also signs that the Tories may struggle to get their vote out, if there was an election soon, as among their supporters just 62 per cent say they are certain to vote, compared to 76 per cent for Labour backers, a wider gap than the four percentage points in January.
Gideon Skinner, Head of Political Research at Ipsos, said: “The historical comparisons continue to look ominous for Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives.
“The Ipsos Political Monitor started in the late 70s and has never recorded a Conservative vote share this low – and the job satisfaction trends for the Prime Minister and his government since he took office are also heading downwards.
“Combined with Labour taking leads on issues of economic credibility to go with their traditional strengths in public services, this means the Conservatives face big challenges across a number of fronts if they are to turn the situation around.”
With just days to go to the Budget on Wednesday, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has also seen his rating dip to a new low, with 56 per cent dissatisfied, down four points from a year ago, and 22 per cent satisfied.
He also trails Rachel Reeves as “most capable Chancellor” by 24 per cent to 39 per cent, a gap of 15 points compared to 12 points in October last year.
The detailed figures show:
* Labour has a clear lead as having the best policies to manage the economy, on 31 per cent, compared to 23 per cent for the Conservatives.
* Twenty-nine per cent say the Tories are best for Britain’s businesses, down sharply from 41 per cent in September 2021, but still ahead of Labour on 25 per cent.
* The Conservatives are ahead as having the best policies for the City, financial services, on 30 per cent compared to 22 per cent.
Labour is ahead on taxation, by 32 per cent to 19 per cent, on public services by 43 per cent to 11 per cent, for people in work by 40 per cent to 15 per cent, and for the level of public spending by 35 per cent to 16 per cent.
* Ipsos UK interviewed 1,004 adults in Britain by phone between February 21 and 28. Data are weighted. Full details at ipsos.com/en-uk
