Former Conservative leader Sir Ian says there is 'real anger' from the public; towards the Government Photo: JESSICA TAYLOR/PA
The public feel «real anger» towards the Government, Sir Iain Duncan Smith said, as a new poll showed the Conservatives are on course to win fewer than 100 seats at the elections.
Sir Ian, the former Tory leader, said voters had good reason to be «angry, irritated and fed up» with his party over legal and illegal immigration and the record post-war tax burden.
His comments came after a Survation poll of 15,029 people showed the Tories would win 98 seats to Labour's 468, giving Sir Keir Starmer's party a majority of 286 seats and raising new questions about the future of Rishi Sunak's leadership.
Asked about the findings by Times Radio, Sir Ian said: “Much of it is concern and anger about the cost of living, the challenges post-Covid, the money we have had to spend on higher levels of taxation and the economy. which was in crisis.» complexity.
“Migration has [also] become a very big issue. All good reasons why the public is angry, irritated and bored. It's all about real anger at the government. I can totally understand that. There are things that the government needs to clarify.
“Lower inflation, lower interest rates, lower taxes. Get [Rwanda's] flights off the ground. Taking the financial pressure off people is absolutely essential. We have a few months to make sure people get better.”
Sir Ian warned that the «general view» of the public is that his party has «no power», adding: «The most important thing is to succeed.»
Sir Keir Starmer is predicted to lead his party to victory Photo: Labor Party/Labour Party
It comes as Mr Sunak sought to ease pressure on households' cost of living by lowering energy bills. and the increase in the national cost of living came into force.
The Prime Minister insisted 2024 will be «the year Britain bounces back» and said the measures could save households an average of £3,850 a year when combined with recent cuts to national insurance.
< p>The National Living Wage has risen from £10.42 to £11.44 as of Monday, and Ofgem's cut in the electricity price cap by around 12 per cent is forecast to save households around £250 a year on their energy bills.< /p>
Mr Sunak said: “Today's measures could save households on average around £3,850 a year, which — with upcoming National Insurance cuts — will put more money in their pockets to help reignite the economy. Although recent years have tested our resolve, we have not given up. We fulfilled the plan, cut inflation by more than half and embarked on the path of growth.
“Thanks to this determination, we have found ourselves in a new economic moment and, thanks to our impressive package If economic reforms come into force today, 2024 will be the year Britain recovers.”
Downing Street said the Prime Minister had succeeded deliver on three of the “five promises” he made at the start of 2023: halve inflation, grow the economy and cut debt.
Darren Jones, Labor Party chief Chancellor accused Sunak of being “out of touch with reality” and blamed the Conservative Party for the current recession.
In the poll, the Labor Party leads with 19 percentage points, up three points from the end of last year. year — with the Official Opposition on 45 per cent support and the Tories on 26 per cent.
Cabinet ministers predicted to lose their seats include Home Secretary James Cleverley, Defense Secretary Grant Shapps and Leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt.
The poll also showed Conservative seats would increase by more than 50 per cent. if Reform UK, Richard Tice's rebel right-wing party, would have stood aside.
The Conservatives would have won 150 seats if Reform had not fielded candidates across the UK, although Mr Tice insisted it would, in contrast from Brexit. He'll be fighting for every seat at the 2019 party.
Full cabinet portrait Photo: SIMON WALKER/NUMBER 10 DOWNING- STREET
The Survation survey, commissioned by campaign group Best for Britain, used multilevel regression and poststratification (MRP) to successfully forecast the UK for 2017 and 2019. elections.
MRP provides insight into actual election results by predicting which seats will go to which party. An MRP poll carried out by YouGov for The Telegraph in January showed the Tories would win 169 seats, while Labor would come to power for the first time in 14 years with 385 seats.
The poll has sparked speculation in Westminster over Sunak's candidacy. future amid a poll deficit of around 20 percentage points and members of the right-wing Conservative caucus talking of bringing down the prime minister.
A right-wing Conservative MP told The Telegraph: “Downing Street continues to tell us that there is a plan.
“Well, at the moment, independent mega-surveys show that we are on the verge of an extinction-level event. Colleagues deserve to be able to see the plan to turn things around and assess whether the current administration is truly capable of turning things around.”
Another Conservative MP said Mr Sunak needed to be replaced before the next elections. They said: “I think people who say it's okay to carry on like this are mistaken about the reality of the situation. They are out of touch with reality.
“We absolutely need a new leader. Without him, the country literally disappeared. I think anyone other than Rishi would have scored at least 50-100 more seats. We need someone who can talk to the country and set out a real Conservative vision for the future.”
Mr Sunak has ruled out holding a general election on May 2, the same day as local elections. and described elections in the second half of the year as his «working assumption».
Despite his party's poll troubles, the Prime Minister remains optimistic about its prospects and has said he will win the next general election. .
Свежие комментарии