Majority of Conservative voters say Boris Johnson must now resign, YouGov snap poll reveals

Majority of Conservative voters say Boris Johnson must now resign, YouGov snap poll reveals

Majority of Conservative voters say Boris Johnson must now resign, YouGov snap poll reveals

  • The first time Tories said they’d like to see him go rather than stay as Prime Minister
  • 54% of Conservatives want Prime Minister to resign over Pincher scandal
  • This was less than 20% in March – before Partygate and the Sue Gray report
  • But it is telling that the majority of Tories also believe that Boris will not resign easily

Through Martin Robinson, chief reporter

Published: † Updated:

The majority of conservatives think now Boris Johnson should stop, a quick poll today revealed.

More bad news for the prime minister: It is now the first time in his premiership that Tory voters have wanted to see him leave rather than stay in number 10.

Mr Johnson is fighting for his political life today as rebel MPs try to deal the fatal blow after the dramatic resignation of Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid†

The prime minister faces a brutal day in the wake of the bomb’s departure and a host of other more junior exits, taking on PMQs in the afternoon for a three-hour whim of the powerful Liaison Committee — including some of its fiercest critics.

And it seems public support for him is also fading – including among Tory voters who catapulted him into Downing Street three years ago on a Brexit wave.

A YouGov poll of 3,000 people last night found that most conservative voters of 2019 (54%) now also want the prime minister to resign. And 69 percent of voters — more than two in three — also think he should fall for his sword.

But despite the public desire to see the prime minister evicted from number 10, far fewer Britons expect Johnson to leave voluntarily. Only one in five (21%) think he will step down, up from 7% in early June. Two-thirds (68%) expect he will try to stay.

A YouGov poll has shown for the first time that majority of Tory voters believe Boris Johnson should resign

The prime minister is hit by scandal after scandal in which support from his own party falters. In March, fewer than 20 percent of Conservatives wanted him to leave. Now it's more than half

The prime minister is hit by scandal after scandal in which support from his own party falters. In March, fewer than 20 percent of Conservatives wanted him to leave. Now it’s more than half

It is telling that the majority of people do not think that Mr Johnson will quietly leave number 10. Half believe he will not resign

It is telling that the majority of people do not think that Mr Johnson will quietly leave number 10. Half believe he will not resign

Boris Johnson was gloomy when he addressed his cabinet yesterday (pictured). Hours later, Sajid Javid became the prime minister to resign over the Chris Pincher scandal

Boris Johnson was gloomy when he addressed his cabinet yesterday. Hours later, Sajid Javid became the prime minister to resign over the Chris Pincher scandal

Boris Johnson was gloomy when he addressed his cabinet yesterday. Hours later, Sajid Javid (good today) became the prime minister to resign over the Chris Pincher scandal

When it comes to Rishi Sunak, most Britons believe the Chancellor was right to resign (56%), while Conservative voters tended to agree by 47% to 24%.

Labor has had a small but consistent lead over the Conservatives in opinion polls for the past seven months.

The size of the lead varied, from an average of just three points to a whopping 11 points.

Sir Keir Starmer’s party first advanced in the polls in early December 2021, around the time when stories first emerged of Downing Street partying during Covid-19 lockdowns.

Before this point, Labor had lagged far behind the government for much of the previous years.

Based on a seven-day moving average of all nationally published polls, Labor’s vote share was 39% on July 5, the Conservatives 33%, the Liberals 13% and the Greens 6%.

Last night's poll of 3,000 people also backed Rishi Sunak's decision to step down as chancellor

Last night’s poll of 3,000 people also backed Rishi Sunak’s decision to step down as chancellor

A year ago, the Conservatives averaged 41%, Labor 33%, the Lib Dems 9% and the Greens 5%.

Polls are snapshots of the prevailing public mood, not projections or predictions.

With the next general election more than two years away – the latest possible date is January 23, 2025 – there is plenty of time to change the national numbers.

But polls shape and reflect the prevailing mood in the country as well as the vote, which in turn affects the morale of both politicians and party members.

The news for conservatives is equally grim when looking at Boris Johnson’s popularity ratings.

The prime minister’s net favorable rating – the difference between the number of people who say they have a favorable opinion of him and those who have an unfavorable opinion – has been at or near an all-time low since January.

That is currently at minus 51 points, according to figures from the opinion polling group YouGov.

Boris Johnson has had negative reviews for almost his entire premiership, except for a few weeks in the spring of 2020 at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, the score has only fallen below minus 40 in recent months.