According to research, Conservative supporters would choose Boris Johnson as the next prime minister above both of his competitors because they have “seller’s remorse” about his resignation.
By removing Mr. Johnson and kicking off a contentious campaign to succeed him, Tory MPs, in the eyes of floating voters in marginal areas, have severely tarnished the party’s credibility.
This was supported by a second national YouGov survey that revealed 49% of Tory supporters wanted Mr. Johnson to continue as prime minister, which was more than the support for Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak put together.
The results confirmed predictions that Mr. Johnson’s ouster may have a severe effect on the party’s prospects of winning elections in 2024.
The other candidates in Southampton Itchen’s competitive seat, Richard, a plumber, claimed: “The others have not had to cope with what he’s had to.”
He jumped right in, and the topic was Brexit, followed by Covid, and now the conflict in Ukraine.
“Everyone rambles on about how he ought to have done this or that. I would, however, want to see them in his shoes.
‘If he would have failed or succeeded, we’ll never know now, but he should have been given the chance,’ said another voter in the Greater Manchester red wall seat of Oldham East and Saddleworth.
I genuinely loved Boris and I was very, really upset in the way he was handled, said a third voter in Esher and Walton, a borderline seat with the Liberal Democrats in Surrey. They focus on little issues.
Public First, a political consulting firm, performed the study in three English regions important to Mr. Johnson’s 80-seat victory in 2019.
It showed how the rising expense of living was causing people to become more sceptical of the two contenders for position No. 10.
It’s like going to a job interview, Stacey, a buyer who works for a home construction company, said. “Quite honestly, they all spout trash.”
The 55-year-old receptionist Claire, a conservative voter, said: “All we can do is hope.” One of them will win.
The YouGov survey found that less than 25% of participants were persuaded by the contenders’ proposals to lower living expenses.