Rishi Sunak is seen as less competent on economic affairs than most recent Conservative prime ministers, according to the latest Opinium poll for the Observer.
The prime minister has made reducing inflation one of his key priorities, as well as reducing debt and avoiding a recession. Much of his pitch has been on his economic management skills as a former chancellor.
Sunak ranks below David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson, with only 27% thinking that his Conservatives are handling the economy well. Some 60% think they are handling it poorly. He ranks higher than Liz Truss, whose leadership imploded after her disastrous mini-budget. A large majority (78%) think her party performed poorly, 10% that they did well.
The poll reveals significant economic concerns. Half (48%) of voters think the UK economy will worsen over the next 12 months, with 22% thinking it will get better. Only 20% think their personal finances will improve.
General economic worries are widespread. Three in four (77%) worry about the state of the economy generally, 59% about interest rate rises and 82% about inflation and the cost of living.
Overall, Labour maintains a strong lead over the Tories ahead of a crucial party conference season. Keir Starmer’s party leads by 15 points, with 41% of the vote compared to 26% for the Tories. Sunak’s approval ratings have fallen further, to -30% net. Starmer remains the preferred choice for prime minister among voters, with 29% choosing him and 23% opting forSunak. A larger proportion pick neither leader (38%).
Adam Drummond, head of political and social research at Opinium, said: “There remain no signs of a Conservative turnaround in the polls, with Labour on a 15-point lead. Looking ahead to the next election, voters most want to see the Conservative government focus on cutting NHS waiting times and cutting inflation. Despite these being two of the five pledges Rishi Sunak made earlier in the year, the public remain sceptical of his government being able to do so, with around half of voters thinking these are unachievable under his government.”
Opinium polled 2,051 people online from 13-15 September. Results have been weighted to be politically and nationally representative.
