Remember as we have seen from earlier polls this is as inflation/prices increasingly become the yardstick which the public are using to judge the economy, and as pessimism about the economy reaches historic lows. (2/5) pic.twitter.com/nwfgF2ATL2

— Gideon Skinner (@GideonSkinner) April 1, 2022

Meanwhile Labour are more trusted than Conservatives to reduce the cost of living, & views on Rishi Sunak’s stewardship of the economy are becoming more negative. So won’t be a surprise to see public concern about cost of living continue – nor to see more govt action on it (4/5) pic.twitter.com/BtyPG033ln

— Gideon Skinner (@GideonSkinner) April 1, 2022

This poll is further proof that the cost of living crisis and the government’s handling of it is very likely going to damage the Conservatives at the next general election.

Pessimism on the economy hitting historic lows isn’t good news for the government but when 42% of voters think Rishi Sunak has made the economy worse since becoming Chancellor whilst just 16% say he has made the economy is not a good place for him or the government. He’s a definite lay in the next Con leader and PM markets. The result of this is more people trust the Labour to reduce their cost of living than the Conservatives.

The only sliver of comfort for the government is that the voters generally rank Covid-19, the world economy, and the war in Ukraine as the major contributors for the cost of living crisis however two thirds of voters blame the government and Brexit for the cost of living crisis which suggests will find it difficult to follow the Gordon Brown playbook of saying ‘It started in Wuhan/Ukraine.’

Perhaps Boris Johnson should start thinking about replacing Rishi Sunak. Tim Shipman in the Sunday Times reports ‘The relationship most in the spotlight is that between Johnson and Sunak. “Rishi and Boris have royally fallen out,” a fellow cabinet member said. “There is so much tension. I wouldn’t be surprised if [the PM] moved him.”’

Smarkets have a betting market on the next Chancellor but only £33 has been traded, if I was going to have a punt I might go for someone like Jacob Rees-Mogg as next Chancellor.

I don’t wish to minify Rishi Sunak and his talents but only someone who is political tone deaf would go on holiday to their Santa Monica flat over Easter as the cost of living crisis escalates. I despise the politics of envy but I also realise we live in the real world where vile things like the politics of envy and pineapple on pizza exist.

Sunaks’ £5m Santa Monica flat offers sun, sea … and a pet spa https://t.co/mqkyJzYfA0

— Guardian politics (@GdnPolitics) April 3, 2022

Sunak doesn’t have the talent to be Chancellor, after all he became Chancellor because he was prepared to be the sub to Dom which really is something someone who is competent and has an ounce of dignity would not be prepared to countenance. It is that his popularity was ephemeral, who wouldn’t like a man who paid the voters to stay at home? but when that stopped he became as popular as Salman Rushdie in Iran.

TSE