Most of the public thinks Conservative MPs should vote to remove Boris Johnson as Prime Minister in the confidence motion, according to snap polls.
Some 60% of Britons think Mr Johnson should be usurped, according to both a YouGov poll of more than 3,000 people and a separate Savanta ComRes survey done on Monday.
A similar proportion of the YouGov respondents (61%) also said they believe the Government does not have the right ideas and policies to deal with the cost-of-living crisis.
Meanwhile, more than a quarter of Britons (27%) in the same poll said Tory MPs should not vote to remove Mr Johnson as Prime Minister.
The Savanta ComRes survey of 1,116 adults also showed that, of people who voted Conservative in 2019, 23% said they would be more likely to vote Tory at the next election if Boris Johnson stood down.
This compares with 21% who would be less likely while 50% said it made no difference to their vote.
The poll also implied there is no clear favourite among the public for Mr Johnson’s potential successor.
Rishi Sunak topped the list with 12% of votes, followed by Jeremy Hunt at 8%, and Liz Truss at 6% – but 35% of voters said they did not know who their preference would be.
Chris Hopkins, political research director at Savanta ComRes, said results reflected the public’s “relatively dim view of Boris Johnson”.
He said: “This poll is clear in that the public have a relatively dim view of Boris Johnson, and that ultimately is the main reason behind Conservative MPs voting on whether or not to oust him as leader in a few hours time.
“However, with no clear alternative guaranteed to turn the Conservatives’ current electoral malaise around, MPs may decide tonight that it’s better the devil you know and the Prime Minister may survive – for now.”
Among Tory party members, 55% said MPs should vote to remove Mr Johnson in another snap poll conducted among members of grassroots group Conservative Home.
Some 41% said he should remain in his post while 3% said they did not know which way MPs should vote.
