There is a new poll out from Ipsos which has LAB with a 5% lead which is no change. As is the normal practice with the firm their regular poll each month comes out with an array of different charts and analyses. The one I am highlighting above shows the quite extraordinary change in the fortunes of Rishi Sunak since August 2020.

It will be recalled that he had for a long period been the main name in the frame to succeed Boris Johnson and that existed until only a few weeks ago. Then everything seemed to go wrong in the aftermath of his summer statement. Even in January this year the agree/disagree numbers were running neck and neck.

Since then it has all been downhill and now just 22% agree that he has what it takes to be PM with 51% disagreeing.

In many ways, the big beneficiary of this change in perception of the Chancellor is his boss the PM Mr Johnson. What saves the latter at the moment is that there is no obvious successor at number 10 Downing Street.

In politics things can change quickly and what were previously regarded as certainties now look exactly the opposite. My guess is that a new Johnson successor will emerge in the coming weeks but I am less sure about who it will be.

Mike Smithson