Rishi Sunak soars in Tory popularity after Uxbridge win & vow to back motorists – heaping pressure on to go further
RISHI Sunak has soared in Tory popularity in the latest polling of members.
In the weeks after the Uxbridge by-election win & vow to back motorists the PM has jumped up the rankings – heaping pressure on to him go further.
Last month, Rishi Sunak was eighth from bottom of the Conservative Home Cabinet League table on -2.7 points.
This month, he has risen up to fourteenth place on a rating of plus 20.7.
ConHome Editor Paul Goodman said: “My explanation? The Uxbridge & South Ruislip by-election result – and the Prime Minister’s tilt from green politics to red – or rather blue – meat: pro-motorist rhetoric, new North sea oil and gas licenses, opposition to low traffic neighbourhood schemes.
“We’ve yet to see whether or not this more combative profile makes a difference to the opinion polls, but it has clearly made some to the League Table.”
The Tories snatched a surprise win from Labour in Uxbridge in the by-elections, and they managed to hold on to the Tory seat.
The expansion of Sadiq Khan’s Ultra Low Emission Zone – which charges people £12.50 a day to drive if their car is too old – was widely blamed.
The PM went on to reassure voters he is on the side of Britain’s 33million drivers.
And he insisted he would launch a review of hated Low Traffic Neighbourhoods in a bid to woo back true-blue Tories.
Rishi Sunak insisted it was “100 per cent” the right move to “max out” the reserves in the North Sea – and we’d need it for time to switch over to renewables.
Sir Keir Starmer has said he won’t grant any more to go green.
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Kemi Badenoch, who earlier this week expressed concern about new car manufacturing targets for electric vehicles, is up tom 43 points to 57 too.
Last month a record nine Cabinet ministers including the PM were in negative ratings.
However, there has been no movement in the national polls as of yet.
The latest YouGov/Times voting intention poll shows the Conservatives on 25% of the vote (no change from the previous survey on 19-20 July) to Labour’s 45% (+1).