The Conservative Party is ‘Institutionally Corrupt’ Say Voters
New poll, conducted in the wake of revelations about Nadhim Zahawi and Boris Johnson, suggests that trust in the Government is reaching new lows
EXCLUSIVE: POLL FINDS VOTERS BELIEVE CONSERVATIVE PARTY IS ‘INSTITUTIONALLY CORRUPT’
POLL ALSO FINDS TORY VOTERS TURNING AWAY FROM BREXIT
QUESTIONS RAISED ABOUT UK GOVERNMENT’S CONNECTIONS TO RUSSIAN OLIGARCHS
A large majority of British voters believe the Conservative party is “institutionally corrupt” with senior members of the government more interested in “personal gain” than helping the country, according to an exclusive new poll, commissioned by the Byline Supplement.
The poll, which was conducted by pollsters Omnisis, follows revelations about the personal tax affairs of the Conservative party Chairman Nadhim Zahawi.
It also follows news of an undeclared £800,000 loan taken out by the former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, with the help of the current chair of the BBC.
According to the poll, 65% of voters now agree with the statement that Rishi Sunak’s party is ‘institutionally corrupt’, with just 18% disagreeing. This compares to just 31% who say the same of the Labour Party.
The poll also suggests that voters now have little faith in the motivations of those leading the UK Government.
Omnisis found that 72% also agreed with the statement that senior members of the Conservative party are “more interested in personal gain than serving the public” with just 16% disagreeing.
Rishi Sunak entered Downing Street promising to lead a Government based on “integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level”.
However, our poll suggests that voters have little faith in his ability to deliver.
Omnisis found that just 22% of all voters and just 55% of Conservative voters agree that the Prime Minister is meeting his pledge to restore accountability and integrity to Government.
The findings come as Rishi Sunak’s own ratings continue to slide among voters.
Today’s poll found that just 27% of voters approve of the way Sunak is handling the job of Prime Minister, compared to 47% who disapprove.
Growing Bregret
The Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt today gave a speech declaring that Brexit is “energising” growth in the UK and criticised those suggesting that leaving the EU was hurting the country.
However, today’s poll suggests that voters increasingly do not share Hunt’s optimism.
According to our poll, 63% of all decided voters would vote to rejoin the EU, with just 37% saying they would vote to remain outside.
Worryingly for Hunt this includes 45% of current Conservative voters, and even one-in-four of those who say they voted Brexit in 2016.
Our findings suggest that whatever Hunt may claim otherwise, the reality of Brexit is now more clear than ever for most British voters.
A Second Home for Oligarchs?
The shocking news this week that the Treasury, under Rishi Sunak, gave the sanctioned Putin ally, and warlord, Yevgeny Prigozhin, permission to sue a British journalist in UK courts, has once again raised the question of the Government’s long history of close relations with Russian oligarchs.
The decision to overrule sanctions in order to allow Prigozhin to use his frozen assets in order to sue the journalist Elliot Higgins is deeply worrying.
A Government spokesman denied to Byline Times that ministers, or the Prime Minister himself, had any role in taking the decision and insisted that it had been taken entirely independently by officials. They also suggested that the rules that allowed Prigozhin to overcome the sanctions placed upon him were now being reviewed.
However, this is not the first time that the UK has given favourable terms to a Russian oligarch.
As Byline Times reported last year, Boris Johnson’s government was accused of “bending the rules” in order to allow the former Prime Minister’s personal friend Alexander Lebedev to avoid sanctions in the UK.
Lebedev was given a free pass by the UK Government despite our close allies in Canada sanctioning him as one of the “key members of Putin’s inner circle” who had “directly enabled Vladimir Putin’s senseless war in Ukraine”.
In the intervening period Lebedev was able to remove himself from ties to UK-based organisations, including Independent Print Limited, which is connected to the Independent Newspaper, which is partly owned by his son Evgeny Lebedev.
Questions were also repeatedly raised last year over the apparent delay taken to sanction other figures close to the Kremlin, allowing them to potentially take advantage of “asset flight” out of the country.
Whatever the details of the Prigozhin decision, serious questions remain to be asked about the UK Government’s long history of ties to Russian money.
Like Trump and many Republicans, Johnson and many Tories, are lazy, greedy and not very worldly wise. Easy targets for a hostile foreign government awash with money, and they were willing puppets, we must not forget Kompromat, as both Trump and Johnson were inclined towards casual relationships with women.
The Tory party are showing their true colours as a bunch of toffs having a wheeze at our expense. Before 2016, they used to be more reserved and careful not to scare the horses! We will be paying for this for years, especially those without financial cushioning.