INews
Rishi Sunak’s bid to become prime minister has suffered a further setback after a new poll revealed his big tax-cutting announcement failed to win over Tory voters.
An exclusive poll by BMG Research for i showed that he is neck and neck with Liz Truss among the wider electorate, but 11 points behind among people who voted Conservative at the last election and 19 points behind those who voted to leave the European Union.
A senior Tory source revealed even Boris Johnson – whose downfall was triggered by Mr Sunak’s resignation as chancellor – is “almost starting to feel sorry” for him due to his faltering campaign and the people who are running it.
In an attempt to save his flagging bid for No10 on Tuesday, Mr Sunak performed a major U-turn on tax by pledging to cut VAT on energy bills.
Ms Truss has been leading her rival after pledging to cut taxes, including reversing Mr Sunak’s national insurance hike, from the start of the campaign.
But the BMG poll, taken mostly after the VAT pledge was announced, shows both candidates on 29 per cent among all voters on the question of who would make the better prime minister – suggesting the policy U-turn failed to cut through. Some 36 per cent say they do not know.
Among Conservative voters – who include the Tory membership electing the next prime minister – Ms Truss is way ahead of Mr Sunak, with 43 per cent believing she would make the better PM, compared to 32 per cent for the ex-chancellor.
Among Leave voters, the gap is even wider, with 45 per cent backing Ms Truss and just 26 per cent for Mr Sunak.
Crucially, the survey reveals that voters believe Ms Truss is more in touch with people who are struggling with the cost of living crisis, while Mr Sunak is seen as more effective and managerial…
