BBC Graphic Charity begins at home According to recent reports Boris Johnson appears to be taking that rather literally. Nevertheless, the sentiment is one that voters share. Voters of all parties suggested the govt was right to cut the foreign aid budget. Foreign aid is an excellent wedge issue for Boris Johnson to divide labour voters from labour politicians. And yet – making sweeping budgetary changes is easier announced than enacted. The cut from 0.7% to 0.5% of GDP may…
The above YouGov polling came out last week but got overshadowed by the budget and I think they should be highlighted. For in all the comparisons listed Johnson trails behind Sunak and in all but two of them Starmer as well. The competence split where the Chancellor has a huge net lead over the PM is very striking. Just 34% regard the latter as competent compared with 52% who don’t. None of the three come out of the trustworthy question…
The big polling story of the year is YouGov in the Times reporting a post-budget lead of 13% for the Tories which is greater than the 11.8% vote margin that Johnson’s party achieved at GE2019. But it will be the Daily Mail front page that will most worry Downing Street. The paper’s Simon Walter reports: Boris Johnson fears the final bill for Carrie Symonds‘s lavish makeover of their Downing Street flat could be as high as £200,000. He told aides of his worries in…
Betdata.io chart of Betfair market He’s increasing looking like the PM in waiting In the chart above is the latest betting from Betfair on who punters think will be the next prime minister based on where they are placing their money. The picture is very clear – in the space of a few hours after the budget Sunak moved up in the next PM betting from a 21% chance to a 29% one. The instant post budget polls have all…
The Mail is reporting this morning that Boris is planning to setup a special charity to pay for what it describes as a lavish refurbishment of the apartment where the PM and his fiance live in Downing Street. The Mail goes on: Mr Johnson has complained the cost of the refurbishment by Carrie Symonds was ‘totally out of control’, the Daily Mail has been told. He reportedly said during one meeting that the sum amounted to ‘tens and tens of thousands’….
Pic YouTube Tory think tank demands an inquiry One of the oldest Tory organisations, the Bow Group, has made the surprising move of demanding an inquiry into the role of the PM’s fiance, Carrie Symonds. It wants this to be independent and to look at her “powers over government”. The BBC is quoting the group’s chairman, Ben Harris-Quinney, as saying: She currently holds no official role in the Conservative Party or the government, yet consistent reports in the press suggest…
Tomorrow is a massive day in the government’s efforts to control the pandemic with Johnson due to make a statement with what is being termed the “road-map” back to normality whatever that is deemed to be. At 4pm every afternoon in the UK we get the latest data and what is in the panel above will be the core information on which decisions will be taken. Johnson is only too aware of the criticisms of his failure to act early…