As Mick Lynch has pulled the emergency brake on his pledge that rail strikes would not disrupt Christmas journeys, public support has shifted markedly away from the RMT’s industrial action. A majority of voters – 51% – now oppose the Christmas strikes, with just 37% supporting them. This is an eight-point shift since YouGov last asked. Who could have foreseen that people might not like their Christmas plans being upended…
In some of the first polling conducted since Rishi took over as Prime Minister, the Conservatives have been able to close their polling deficit. New polling from YouGov and The Times saw Labour’s lead shrunk by 9 points. Before any Tories get carried away, that still leaves their lead at 28%…
Add to that the impending storm of budget cuts, Rishi certainly faces an uphill battle.
The poll also strengthens Reform UK’s claims of a resurgence, with their support at 6% and growing representing a relatively strong showing. The Conservatives face challenges from all sides…
The Tory polling position is the worst Guido can remember. The only way is up…
Sunak is biding his time and keeping his powder dry today. The bookies make him favourite. He had a bruising time last time.* The membership have warmed to him according to the latest YouGov polling:
Party members could vote online in a pretty straightforward and secure fashion. Not putting the MPs’ choices to the wider membership will be a mistake in this day and age. The days of the “Magic Circle” of MPs are over. A coronation would reduce the democratic legitimacy of the result even more and be another gift to the opposition.
Assuming Boris doesn’t fancy coming back next week, though The Times is reporting he is taking soundings, the leadership is Rishi’s to lose. One bit of advice Rishi: don’t tell the Tory members “I told you so”. It won’t endear you to the people who voted against you last time.
*Sorry about that.
Suella Braverman’s inclination to toughen cannabis laws is not supported by the public, 42% of whom want a more libertarian approach compared to the 23% who want a tougher approach.
Braverman let it be known this weekend that she was receptive to cannabis being upgraded from a Class B drug to Class A, despite a fair number of her cabinet colleagues admitting to have smoked cannabis in the past. No. 10 clarified today that there are no plans to reclassify the drug. Guido would have thought that a pro-growth agenda would include growing cannabis to produce regulated and taxed products. That would be a libertarian agenda…
Whilst YouGov finds that one in five (19%) say the current laws are about right, across the Atlantic Joe Biden is going to further liberalise federal law to decriminalise the cannabis business across state lines. The world is legalising weed, so should Britain. Some EU member countries have fully legalised medical cannabis and recreational cannabis. If only we had a libertarian government…
If memory serves Guido correctly, Jeremy Corbyn managed a minus 60 net approval rating at his worst. Liz has a net approval rating of minus 59. Guido is told it is the lowest rating ever recorded of a Conservative Party leader. Her speech today needs to be the beginning of a turnaround. If she goes on to win a general election it will be a comeback on a par with a resurrected Elvis replacing Britney in Las Vegas…
