Liz Truss Already More Unpopular Than Boris Johnson Ever Was, According To Poll

(Photo: Carl Court via Getty Images)

Liz Truss is already more unpopular as Boris Johnson ever was, despite only having been in office for a month.

Shortly before the prime minister’s speech to the Tory party conference on Wednesday, YouGov poll published on Wednesday morning showing her net favourability score has fallen to -59.

Just 14% of the public now say they have a favourable impression of Truss, with 73% now seeing her in an unfavourable light.

Johnson’s net favourability was -53 when it dropped to its lowest in early July.

According to the pollster, Jeremy Corbyn’s lowest ever score was -55 back in June 2019.

The numbers come amid bitter infighting at the party’s annual conference in Birmingham.

The survey was conducted on October 1 and 2, before Truss and her chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng U-turned on a plan to scrap the 45p rate of tax.

Voters who backed the Tories in 2019 are now twice as likely to have an unfavourable view of the new prime minister (60%) as a positive one (30%).

Keir Starmer meanwhile now has net favourability score of -7, up from -17 two weeks ago.

Labour is currently enjoying some its highest opinion poll ratings for more than 20 years.

Truss faces a tough task restoring Tory morale after a conference which has seen a U-turn over a totemic tax policy, cabinet dissent and the threat of another major split over the level of benefits.

Former cabinet minister Grant Shapps has warned she has little more than a week to save her leadership, while another member of Johnson’s top team, Nadine Dorries, said she is not calling for an immediate election because “we’d absolutely lose it”.

Dorries had previously suggested Truss should go to the country if she wants a mandate for her tax-cutting, high-borrowing agenda.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost UK and has been updated.

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