Labour has surged to its largest poll lead over the Conservatives in more than two decades, with voters turning against Kwasi Kwarteng’s tax-cutting budget. A YouGov poll for The Times today puts Labour 17 points clear of the Tories — a level of support not seen since Tony Blair won his landslide victory in 2001.
The survey revealed widespread public opposition, including among Tory supporters, to the tax-cutting measures announced by the chancellor last week.
Kwarteng’s decision to scrap the 45 per cent rate of tax for those earning more than £150,000 was opposed by 72 per cent of voters including 69 per cent of those who backed the Conservatives in 2019.
The move to lift restrictions on bankers’ bonuses was rejected by 71 per cent of the electorate, including 67 per cent of Tory voters.
Just 9 per cent of voters thought that the measures outlined in the budget would make them better off, while only 15 per cent believed they would achieve the government’s aim of kickstarting economic growth.
Overall, 60 per cent said Kwarteng’s £45 billion tax giveaway was unaffordable for the country and 25 per cent thought that the government had a clear plan to manage the economy.
The poll findings will alarm Tory MPs coming on top of today’s market reaction to the government’s plans to increase borrowing in the short term to boost growth.
Just 19 per cent of voters thought Kwarteng’s budget was “fair” — the worst polling figure since YouGov began to ask the question in 2010.
One Conservative source said: “If your plan is unpopular with the markets but popular with voters, then that’s an OK place to be. But if you’ve spent all this money and it’s unpopular with everyone, then that is very dangerous.”
YouGov’s survey, which was conducted over the weekend, showed that Tory support had fallen by four points to 28 per cent in the aftermath of the budget while Labour’s had risen five points to 45 per cent and the Lib Dems were unchanged on 8 per cent.
The decline in support for the party appears to be linked directly to the reaction of the public to last Friday’s “mini-budget”. Just 10 per cent of voters thought that Kwarteng was doing a “good job” while 68 per cent said that the government was managing the economy badly.
Despite announcing tax cuts and scrapping Rishi Sunak’s national insurance rise, only 9 per cent of voters said they felt they would be better off next year. The same proportion believed that Kwarteng’s growth strategy would make the country as a whole better off over the next 12 months.
Ministers will point to some of the specific measures in Kwarteng’s package that voters supported in the poll.
Some 60 per cent backed the move to cut the basic rate of income tax from 20 to 19 per cent while 59 per cent supported reversing the national insurance rise. About half backed the planned changes to stamp duty.
However, just 31 per cent supported the decision to freeze corporation tax while 11 per cent agreed with scrapping the 45 per cent tax rate for the highest earners.
They were also unconvinced by Kwarteng’s plan for new investment zones free from some planning restrictions and regulations, with only 34 per cent saying they were a good idea.
It is the biggest Labour lead that YouGov has recorded since it began polling in 2001. In the election that year, Labour won 43 per cent of the vote and took 412 seats. The Tories won 30 per cent of the vote and 166 seats.
-Oliver Wright, Steven Swinford, Chris Smyth
Seat Projections:
LAB: 418 (+223)
CON: 144 (-234)
LDEM: 15 (+7)
SNP: 51 (+3)
GRN: 1
PLD: 2
Conservative MPs losing seats would include Johnson, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Steve Baker, Grant Shapps, Dominic Raab, Penny Mordaunt, Andrea Leadsom, Andrea Jenkyns and Iain Duncan Smith.
Wow, this is the Times calling the Tories a clown show. Murdoch trying to stay on-side.
The Tories arent calling another election any time soon…. And I still don’t think starmer can win an election…. So enjoy another few years of this shit show
Anyone that would vote Tory at this point is either super rich or a stupid cunt
A complete disaster. Who would’ve thought we’d be looking back at Boris Johnson with nostalgia?
I see labour calling for a general election daily, and when the shitshow really boils over, prob January where people get hit hardest, then a vote of no confident. They wouldn’t get it of course but that would just give them momentum till 2025. Hopefully.
My wishful play anyway
This is not a clown show. Clowns are fairly harmless. This is the incompatant putting ideology before the UK’s wellbeing. It’s a fucking disaster.
Funny how the BBC is not talking about that…
For every expert on Brexit you had an idiot in the studio, but where is your balance now? Or was that just a front to turn into a less shouty version of Fox News?
The interesting thing is that labour may be ahead in the polls, but they are still hated by the majority.
Will it ever be possible to call mulligan and have a complete reshuffle of all the parties?
Well labour always leads when it is not election time
It only took 12 years, a decade of austerity, rising levels of poverty (foodbanks), overt sleaze (read corruption), a failing provision of state services and a string of moronic/corrupt PM’s. Labour might have chance now. Well done UK voters!
Why labour though? I’m fed up with having two options.
Why isn’t there a party that has decent economics policies.
Praying we get a snap election. But now that it ain’t happening and we’ve got 2 more years of this shite.
14 comments
Labour has surged to its largest poll lead over the Conservatives in more than two decades, with voters turning against Kwasi Kwarteng’s tax-cutting budget. A YouGov poll for The Times today puts Labour 17 points clear of the Tories — a level of support not seen since Tony Blair won his landslide victory in 2001.
The survey revealed widespread public opposition, including among Tory supporters, to the tax-cutting measures announced by the chancellor last week.
Kwarteng’s decision to scrap the 45 per cent rate of tax for those earning more than £150,000 was opposed by 72 per cent of voters including 69 per cent of those who backed the Conservatives in 2019.
The move to lift restrictions on bankers’ bonuses was rejected by 71 per cent of the electorate, including 67 per cent of Tory voters.
Just 9 per cent of voters thought that the measures outlined in the budget would make them better off, while only 15 per cent believed they would achieve the government’s aim of kickstarting economic growth.
Overall, 60 per cent said Kwarteng’s £45 billion tax giveaway was unaffordable for the country and 25 per cent thought that the government had a clear plan to manage the economy.
The poll findings will alarm Tory MPs coming on top of today’s market reaction to the government’s plans to increase borrowing in the short term to boost growth.
Just 19 per cent of voters thought Kwarteng’s budget was “fair” — the worst polling figure since YouGov began to ask the question in 2010.
One Conservative source said: “If your plan is unpopular with the markets but popular with voters, then that’s an OK place to be. But if you’ve spent all this money and it’s unpopular with everyone, then that is very dangerous.”
YouGov’s survey, which was conducted over the weekend, showed that Tory support had fallen by four points to 28 per cent in the aftermath of the budget while Labour’s had risen five points to 45 per cent and the Lib Dems were unchanged on 8 per cent.
The decline in support for the party appears to be linked directly to the reaction of the public to last Friday’s “mini-budget”. Just 10 per cent of voters thought that Kwarteng was doing a “good job” while 68 per cent said that the government was managing the economy badly.
Despite announcing tax cuts and scrapping Rishi Sunak’s national insurance rise, only 9 per cent of voters said they felt they would be better off next year. The same proportion believed that Kwarteng’s growth strategy would make the country as a whole better off over the next 12 months.
Ministers will point to some of the specific measures in Kwarteng’s package that voters supported in the poll.
Some 60 per cent backed the move to cut the basic rate of income tax from 20 to 19 per cent while 59 per cent supported reversing the national insurance rise. About half backed the planned changes to stamp duty.
However, just 31 per cent supported the decision to freeze corporation tax while 11 per cent agreed with scrapping the 45 per cent tax rate for the highest earners.
They were also unconvinced by Kwarteng’s plan for new investment zones free from some planning restrictions and regulations, with only 34 per cent saying they were a good idea.
It is the biggest Labour lead that YouGov has recorded since it began polling in 2001. In the election that year, Labour won 43 per cent of the vote and took 412 seats. The Tories won 30 per cent of the vote and 166 seats.
-Oliver Wright, Steven Swinford, Chris Smyth
Seat Projections:
LAB: 418 (+223)
CON: 144 (-234)
LDEM: 15 (+7)
SNP: 51 (+3)
GRN: 1
PLD: 2
Conservative MPs losing seats would include Johnson, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Steve Baker, Grant Shapps, Dominic Raab, Penny Mordaunt, Andrea Leadsom, Andrea Jenkyns and Iain Duncan Smith.
Wow, this is the Times calling the Tories a clown show. Murdoch trying to stay on-side.
The Tories arent calling another election any time soon…. And I still don’t think starmer can win an election…. So enjoy another few years of this shit show
Anyone that would vote Tory at this point is either super rich or a stupid cunt
A complete disaster. Who would’ve thought we’d be looking back at Boris Johnson with nostalgia?
I see labour calling for a general election daily, and when the shitshow really boils over, prob January where people get hit hardest, then a vote of no confident. They wouldn’t get it of course but that would just give them momentum till 2025. Hopefully.
My wishful play anyway
This is not a clown show. Clowns are fairly harmless. This is the incompatant putting ideology before the UK’s wellbeing. It’s a fucking disaster.
Funny how the BBC is not talking about that…
For every expert on Brexit you had an idiot in the studio, but where is your balance now? Or was that just a front to turn into a less shouty version of Fox News?
The interesting thing is that labour may be ahead in the polls, but they are still hated by the majority.
Will it ever be possible to call mulligan and have a complete reshuffle of all the parties?
Well labour always leads when it is not election time
It only took 12 years, a decade of austerity, rising levels of poverty (foodbanks), overt sleaze (read corruption), a failing provision of state services and a string of moronic/corrupt PM’s. Labour might have chance now. Well done UK voters!
Why labour though? I’m fed up with having two options.
Why isn’t there a party that has decent economics policies.
Praying we get a snap election. But now that it ain’t happening and we’ve got 2 more years of this shite.