Rishi Sunak's New Year nightmare as new data highlights scale of crisis for Tories

Labour is on 45 percent, the Tories are on 23 percent, and Reform is polling at 10 percent. If such a result was repeated at a General Election, it would be enough for a Labour majority.

The blow to Rishi Sunak comes as the poll also reveals that 54 percent - more than a half of the country - feel worse off now compared to a year ago.

And two thirds of the country say “it’s time for a change in Westminster”.

Commenting, politics expert Professor Matthew Goodwin from People Polling, told GB News: “This is further evidence, after a disastrous year in the polls for Rishi Sunak, that the Conservatives are failing to turn the tide.

"Worryingly for Rishi Sunak, it’s not just that the Labour share of the vote which remains strong but a significant share of his own voters are now defecting to the Reform party. Reform is now on 10 per cent of the national vote, drawing more than one in five disillusioned 2019 Tories.

“If Keir Starmer goes into the next general election asking voters the Ronald Reagan question –‘are you better off than you were four years ago?’—then much of the country, including more than four in ten of the people who voted for Boris Johnson in 2019, will say 'no'. This is yet another sign the Tories are heading for a heavy defeat.

“Asking people if it’s time for a change in Westminster has been an unusually powerful predictor of what will happen at the next election, and these numbers once again point to widespread hunger for a change of government at the looming election.

"Large majorities of voters think it’s time for a change in Westminster and if the current polling numbers don’t change then they are sure to get exactly what they want.”

The poll also laid bare what issues voters want the Government to focus on in 2024.

The most popular priorities among voters is tackling the cost-of-living crisis, followed by improving the NHS, and stopping the small boats.

Goodwin continued: “These findings underline the critical importance of the cost-of-living crisis to determining what happens at the next election.

"But that’s not quite where the story ends.

"For 2019 Conservative Party voters, their overriding priority is stopping the small boats followed by tackling the cost of living crisis while for Labour voters the overriding priority is tackling the cost of living crisis followed by improving the NHS.

"This is further evidence that if Rishi Sunak fails to stop the boats and if the looming Rwanda vote does not go his way, then his days in Number 10 are surely numbered.”

Meanwhile the poll also revealed which political titan voters must long to see back in power.

Margaret Thatcher was the most popular choice when voters were asked which former prime minister they would like to bring back and put in Number 10 Downing Street today. The Iron Lady was followed by Winston Churchill and then Tony Blair.

Goodwin added: “The British people are clearly in the mood for a conviction politician who is unafraid to shake up the consensus to get Britain working. But where is today’s Thatcher? Look at the leadership ratings of Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer and you’d be hard pressed to find one.

"While Thatcher is even more popular among Conservative voters, Tony Blair holds a narrow lead over Gordon Brown among Labour voters, once again perhaps underlining that voters today are dreaming of the days when they had strong, conviction politicians who went on to fundamentally transform the country around them.”

PeoplePolling surveyed 1,987 Britons on December 28, 2023.