Clap to Rishi Sunak as TWO-THIRDS of Brits say super-rich politicians don’t understand ordinary people’s struggles – while 60% say new prime minister should hold general elections soon
- Poll shows Brits don’t believe rich politicians can understand normal struggles
- Rishi Sunak was known as one of the richest MPs with a billionaire heiress
- Survey for MailOnline also found 60% say the new prime minister should call a quick election
Rishi Sunak was dealt a blow today when a poll showed that more than two-thirds of Britons believe ultra-rich politicians cannot identify with the struggles of normal people.
The former Chancellor – reportedly the richest MP in the House of Commons with a billionaire heiress – is also rated as the most absent of the candidates to take the baton Boris Johnson.
The findings, in exclusive research for MailOnline, came as the five remaining Tory leader hopefuls compete for the top job – with crunch votes by MPs this week.
In a worrying sign for the ConservativesRedfield & Wilton Strategies’ research suggests that the public wants the new prime minister to call a general election soon – by 60 percent to 24 percent.
Rishi Sunak was dealt a blow today when a poll showed that more than two-thirds of Britons believe ultra-wealthy politicians cannot identify with normal people’s struggles
Some 69 per cent agreed with the statement that ‘an extraordinarily wealthy politician cannot identify with the experiences of ordinary Britons’ – including 41 per cent who said they felt strong.
But only 9 percent disagreed with the idea.
When people were given a list of Tory candidates and asked which ones best fit the description, 41 percent said Sunak, compared to just 6 percent for Liz Truss and Penny Mordaunt.
The remaining candidates are gearing up for a make-or-break TV debate tonight, ahead of the next round of voting by MPs tomorrow.
Mr Sunak has secured the most votes so far and it looks like he will go through Tory members in the head-to-head vote, but polls have suggested he could lose to a rival at that stage, and there is a huge battle for the other place in the final battle.
Commerce Secretary Penny Mordaunt has garnered significant backing in second place, but she faces intense questions about her stance on gender issues.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Truss has appealed to right-wing people to unite behind her – and Kemi Badenoch has put on a strong show, too. Ms Badenoch has been spurred on by a ConservativeHome poll that suggests she is the favorite of activists.
While Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Tom Tugendhat appears to have the least support from MPs in the remaining field, he performed well in Friday night’s first debate.
Research Director at Redfield & Wilton Strategies, Philip van Scheltinga, said: “Our polls unequivocally show that with Rishi Sunak as their leader, the Conservative Party would struggle to connect with voters in the ‘Red Wall’ and other backward areas of Britain voting to leave the EU in 2016 and Boris in 2019.’
:: Redfield & Wilton Strategies surveyed 1,500 Britons on July 14 and the results were weighted to represent the wider population.
In a disturbing sign to Conservatives, the Redfield & Wilton Strategies survey suggests the public wants the new prime minister to call a quick general election – by 60 percent to 24 percent
More than four in ten of those surveyed for this website by Redfield and Wilton Strategies also said he was the leadership candidate best described as “out of touch.”