Pollster Sir John Curtice told GB News many Tory MPs miss Boris Johnson's "clear vision" as he outlined Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's biggest weakness.
The professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde appeared on the chanel ahead of a speech bv Johnson at a private dinner tonight.
Speaking to Stephen Dixon, Curtice said he thought Sunak’s weakness was his ability to “articulate a clear message”.
He said: “I think many people would acknowledge that while Mr Sunak would always outpoint Mr Johnson when it came to ability to command details and with the relative smoothness of the way in which 10 Downing Street is being run - because those were not Mr Johnson’s attributes - Mr Sunak’s relative weakness is that he isn’t very good at articulating a clear message, a clear vision.
Boris Johnson is set to make a speech as supporters hope to see a come back
GB News
“And his speech last week gave us five things to measure against him but it didn’t really give us a distinctive idea of what kind of country he wants to create.”
Johnson will tonight be a guest of honour at a Carlton Club dinner amid hopes from his supporters that he will make a sensational return to the pinnacle of the Tory Party.
Allies say the ex-PM will use his speech to make it clear he is keeping a keen eye on three legacy issues: Brexit, levelling up and supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia.
Curtice told GB News that he thinks the Conservative party is rooting for Johnson due to Sunak’s inability to give the country a clear message.
However, Johnson’s return could be faced with doubt from ministers who may “no longer believe and trust what he says.”
He added: “Undoubtedly, given that backdrop, you can understand why some people inside the Conservative party are saying well, look Boris Johnson is a proving election winner therefore perhaps we should return to him.
Boris Johnson supporters are hoping to see him return to the party
Andrew Boyers
“The trouble is of course, there is no guarantee that history will repeat itself and because Mr Johnson succeeded winning a general election in 2019 essentially by combining the leave vote behind the Conservative party, that doesn’t necessarily mean to say the same thing is going to happen twice.
“And of course, the problem for Mr Johnson above all is in the end he was brought down because many of his colleagues felt they could no longer believe and trust what he said and that was a judgement that many voters had come to during the long party gate saga.”
