The Conservatives Are For the Rich and We Need a New Government to Save the Economy, Say Voters
The Conservatives Are For the Rich and We Need a New Government to Save the Economy, Say Voters
Exclusive poll finds voters believe a change in Government is required to turn the UK's economic prospects around
Voters believe the Conservative Party is mostly concerned with the interests of the rich, and a new Government is required in order to save the economy, according to exclusive new polling for the Byline Supplement.
The poll, which was conducted by pollsters Omnisis, found that 54% of voters believe the Conservative party has handled the economy badly, compared to just 12% who believe they have handled it well.
Asked to choose which of a list of factors would be most likely to benefit the UK economy, a change of government was the most selected option, followed by tax cuts, new trade deals and rejoining the EU.
Perceptions of the Conservative Government’s failure on the economy may be linked with broader perceptions that they are mostly serving the richest in society.
According to our poll, 65% of voters said the Conservative party was mostly concerned with the interests of wealthy people, compared to just 20% who said the same of the Labour Party.
By contrast, just 12% said the Conservatives were mostly concerned with the interests of the less well off.
Voters also overwhelmingly back an increase on taxes on the wealthiest, according to our poll, something which is fiercely opposed by Sunak’s party.
66% of voters say that the wealthy do not pay their fair share of tax, according to just 6% who say they pay too much.
Expecting the Worst
The findings also suggest that voters remain pessimistic about the UK economy, despite recent figures suggesting that inflation is starting to fall.
50% of voters said they were pessimistic about the UK’s economic prospects over the next year, compared to just 20% who said they were optimistic.
Voters are slightly more upbeat about their own personal finances however, with 25% saying they are optimistic about their prospects over the coming year, compared to 40% who say they are pessimistic.
However, despite demands for a change in Government in order to benefit the economy, voters are split on whether the Labour Party is capable of turning the situation around.
Just 28% of voters said they believed Labour leader Keir Starmer would handle the economy well, compared to 29% who believed he would handle it badly.
These ratings are significantly better than the Prime Minister’s however.
According to our poll 49% of voters say he is handling the economy badly, compared to just 18% who believe is handling it well.
Have Voters Made Up Their Minds?
The findings come as polls suggest that a summer blitz of announcements from the Government, on issues including healthcare and ‘small boats’, do not appear to have shifted the dial for the Conservatives.
In recent weeks the Prime Minister has been seeking to pick a series of public rows with the Labour party on so-called ‘wedge issues’ and ‘culture war’ issues designed to cause problems for Keir Starmer’s party.
However, polling averages suggest that Labour remains around 20 points ahead in the polls with little sign of any significant movement since the start of last November.
And with the next general election potentially just one year away, there are already signs of growing restlessness within Rishi Sunak’s party.