Rishi Sunak’s popularity slumps to all-time low ahead of crucial by-elections

Rishi Sunak’s popularity has plummeted to an all-time low ahead of his appearance at Prime Minister’s Questions today, with two-thirds of Britons holding an unfavourable view of the PM.

Just a quarter of people surveyed by polling firm YouGov hold a positive view of Mr Sunak, whereas his net favourability has tumbled to minus 40- the lowest level since he took office.

The numbers spell misery for Mr Sunak, with the Tories already bracing for a potential triple defeat ahead of Thursday’s by-elections.

The Prime Minister’s approval score dropped from minus 34 in late June.

Since then, the economic situation has continued to be dire, with the cost of a mortgage hitting a 15-year high.

Despite Mr Sunak’s pledge to halve inflation by the end of the year, it has stuck at 8.7% and the Bank of England is still hiking interest rates.

The latest official inflation figures are released on Wednesday morning amid worries over more financial pain in store for homeowners.

With the consensus among economists that June’s figure will stay high at around 8.2%, the issue will likely come up in Mr Sunak’s weekly clash with Sir Keir Starmer.

Public perception of the Labour leader is far better than that of Mr Sunak, with Sir Keir’s favourability rating at minus 22.

But he is still broadly unpopular, with 54% of people holding an unfavourable view of the Labour leader.

Mr Sunak’s last grilling in the Commons before Parliament rises for summer recess comes after he missed the last two sessions for the NHS 75th Anniversary service and to attend the Nato summit in Lithuania.

The Conservative Party leader is expected to address his MPs at the 1922 committee of backbench Tories later on Wednesday.

Then on Thursday, he faces mid-term by-elections he has admitted will be ‘difficult’, with his latest personal poll slump likely to add to Tory jitters.

Labour and the Liberal Democrats are hoping to inflict blows on the Conservatives in the contests in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, Selby and Ainsty, and Somerton and Frome.

Defeats would increase pressure on the Prime Minister to act decisively to turn around public perception ahead of a general election expected next year.

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