Rishi Sunak has the lowest approval rating of any Cabinet minister among Tory members, according to a new survey following a row about his wife’s past non-domiciled tax status.
In the latest rankings by ConservativeHome, the Tory news and opinion website, the Chancellor was the only member of the Cabinet with a negative rating.
That means more Conservative Party members who took part in the survey disapproved, rather than approved, of the job he is doing leading the Treasury.
Boris Johnson had the third-worst ranking of Cabinet ministers, while Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary who is helping to lead the response on the Ukraine crisis, had the best.
The finding represents an alarming slump in support among the party faithful for Mr Sunak, who for much of last year topped the regular ConservativeHome rankings.
Mr Sunak has faced a tricky month in the wake of the Spring Statement, after his package of financial measures appeared to receive a lukewarm response from voters.
The Chancellor reportedly considered resigning when it was revealed that his wife, Akshata Murty, was not paying UK tax on her overseas income.
Mr Sunak initially criticised questions about his wife’s non-domicile tax status, saying she had been the victim of a “smear” campaign.
The Treasury also sought a leak inquiry to discover how the confidential information about her tax status became public.
Eventually Mrs Murty, whose father is the Indian billionaire Narayana Murty, announced that she would start paying UK tax on all her overseas income.
Cabinet ministers often move up and down approval ratings with speed, sometimes in parallel with recent news coverage – meaning that drawing firm conclusions can be hard.
But the drop in Mr Sunak’s standing on a table closely watched inside the “Westminster bubble” could affect his hopes of succeeding Mr Johnson in any future leadership contest.
Yet the survey offers little comfort for the Prime Minister.
Mr Johnson continues to be dogged by the scandal over lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street, after he was fined for breaking Covid laws.
Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary – also tipped by fellow Tory MPs as a future leadership contender – has the second highest approval rating, according to the survey.
Nadhim Zahawi, the Education Secretary who won plaudits for overseeing the rollout of the Covid vaccines, is in third place.
Labour has announced that it would scrap non-domicile status if it won power, in an apparent attempt to maximise the political damage for Mr Sunak.
In its place, the party pledged to “introduce a modern scheme for people who are genuinely living in the UK for short periods to allow us to continue to attract top international talent”.
The exact details of what that would entail were unclear.
Rachel Reeves, the Labour shadow chancellor, said: “As the Tories raise taxes on working people, it simply isn’t right that those at the top can benefit from an outdated non-dom tax perks.
“With Labour, people who make the UK their home will contribute to this country by paying tax on their global income.”
He’s a cunt … always has been, just finally exposed, not like anyone would do anything about it… he does have lots and lots of money, so no consequences.
With Priti Patel in the mix, that’s some achievement!
Quite a fall from grace really. He was supposed to be the next PM but that chance has now gone. Hard to see where the Torys go after Johnson.
Turns out you cannot buy your way into popularity in British politics. He should have spent his money funding grifts to build a supporter base.
Anyone would think maybe the PM job might be opening up soon… Suddenly the mud slinging between the potential replacements has started…
Because he made it personal on the voters by screwing with the taxes.
I don’t think he’s the worst guy. He’s so out of touch with the working person that he can’t do his job properly, but I don’t think he’s intentially bad towards those people.
Priti Patel on the other hand, should know better. A daughter of immigrants in charge of some of the most harshest immigration policies in the world.
Is this Boris’ plan?. To surround himself with people more unpopular than he is?
Little Rishy was always out of his depth. Hes a rich boy who has no clue.
For a start he should wear suits from Tesco and drive a white van.
There’s “corrupt” and there’s “corrupt whilst not white”.
Kwarteng has been doing really well at low profile leaking information about Sunak. It’s just a matter of time before he gets the job.
In a race-to-the-bottom with Patel and Mad Nads? Impressive.
Being a bigger POS than the rest must have taken huge effort.
He really had a bumpy fall from grace, he was one of the most popular politicians I can remember early on during covid. Sure it was because he was giving everyone ‘free’ money, but still.
16 comments
Rishi Sunak has the lowest approval rating of any Cabinet minister among Tory members, according to a new survey following a row about his wife’s past non-domiciled tax status.
In the latest rankings by ConservativeHome, the Tory news and opinion website, the Chancellor was the only member of the Cabinet with a negative rating.
That means more Conservative Party members who took part in the survey disapproved, rather than approved, of the job he is doing leading the Treasury.
Boris Johnson had the third-worst ranking of Cabinet ministers, while Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary who is helping to lead the response on the Ukraine crisis, had the best.
The finding represents an alarming slump in support among the party faithful for Mr Sunak, who for much of last year topped the regular ConservativeHome rankings.
Mr Sunak has faced a tricky month in the wake of the Spring Statement, after his package of financial measures appeared to receive a lukewarm response from voters.
The Chancellor reportedly considered resigning when it was revealed that his wife, Akshata Murty, was not paying UK tax on her overseas income.
Mr Sunak initially criticised questions about his wife’s non-domicile tax status, saying she had been the victim of a “smear” campaign.
The Treasury also sought a leak inquiry to discover how the confidential information about her tax status became public.
Eventually Mrs Murty, whose father is the Indian billionaire Narayana Murty, announced that she would start paying UK tax on all her overseas income.
Cabinet ministers often move up and down approval ratings with speed, sometimes in parallel with recent news coverage – meaning that drawing firm conclusions can be hard.
But the drop in Mr Sunak’s standing on a table closely watched inside the “Westminster bubble” could affect his hopes of succeeding Mr Johnson in any future leadership contest.
Yet the survey offers little comfort for the Prime Minister.
Mr Johnson continues to be dogged by the scandal over lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street, after he was fined for breaking Covid laws.
Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary – also tipped by fellow Tory MPs as a future leadership contender – has the second highest approval rating, according to the survey.
Nadhim Zahawi, the Education Secretary who won plaudits for overseeing the rollout of the Covid vaccines, is in third place.
Labour has announced that it would scrap non-domicile status if it won power, in an apparent attempt to maximise the political damage for Mr Sunak.
In its place, the party pledged to “introduce a modern scheme for people who are genuinely living in the UK for short periods to allow us to continue to attract top international talent”.
The exact details of what that would entail were unclear.
Rachel Reeves, the Labour shadow chancellor, said: “As the Tories raise taxes on working people, it simply isn’t right that those at the top can benefit from an outdated non-dom tax perks.
“With Labour, people who make the UK their home will contribute to this country by paying tax on their global income.”
He’s a cunt … always has been, just finally exposed, not like anyone would do anything about it… he does have lots and lots of money, so no consequences.
With Priti Patel in the mix, that’s some achievement!
Quite a fall from grace really. He was supposed to be the next PM but that chance has now gone. Hard to see where the Torys go after Johnson.
Turns out you cannot buy your way into popularity in British politics. He should have spent his money funding grifts to build a supporter base.
Anyone would think maybe the PM job might be opening up soon… Suddenly the mud slinging between the potential replacements has started…
Because he made it personal on the voters by screwing with the taxes.
I don’t think he’s the worst guy. He’s so out of touch with the working person that he can’t do his job properly, but I don’t think he’s intentially bad towards those people.
Priti Patel on the other hand, should know better. A daughter of immigrants in charge of some of the most harshest immigration policies in the world.
Is this Boris’ plan?. To surround himself with people more unpopular than he is?
Little Rishy was always out of his depth. Hes a rich boy who has no clue.
[oh no](https://gfycat.com/repulsivejadedastrangiacoral-shaun-of-the-dead-dont-stop-me-now)
For a start he should wear suits from Tesco and drive a white van.
There’s “corrupt” and there’s “corrupt whilst not white”.
Kwarteng has been doing really well at low profile leaking information about Sunak. It’s just a matter of time before he gets the job.
In a race-to-the-bottom with Patel and Mad Nads? Impressive.
Being a bigger POS than the rest must have taken huge effort.
He really had a bumpy fall from grace, he was one of the most popular politicians I can remember early on during covid. Sure it was because he was giving everyone ‘free’ money, but still.