Boris Johnson's approval rating plummets

Boris Johnson’s approval rating plummets: Prime Minister’s likeability among Tory activists has slumped since he tried to dodge Covid isolation, survey shows

• Poll by Conservative Home website found his rating dropped by 35.8 per cent 
• Fall follows controversy over Mr Johnson’s attempt to avoid self-isolation  
• The sudden slump also follows controversy over vaccine passports 

The Prime Minister’s approval ratings among Tory activists have plummeted since he tried to dodge self-isolation, a survey found yesterday.

The poll by the Conservative Home website found Boris Johnson’s rating had dropped from 39.2 per cent last month to just 3.4 per cent, taking him into the bottom five members of the Cabinet.

The fall follows controversy over Mr Johnson’s attempt to avoid self- isolation after he was identified as a close contact of Health Secretary Sajid Javid, who tested positive last month. 

The PM and Chancellor Rishi Sunak initially joined a Cabinet Office ‘pilot scheme’ that would have allowed them to avoid quarantine. But hours later, the two men agreed to isolate after a public backlash.

The poll by the Conservative Home website found Boris Johnson’s rating had dropped from 39.2 per cent last month to just 3.4 per cent, taking him into the bottom five members of the Cabinet

In the survey, only Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick, Conservative Party co-chairman Amanda Milling and Education Secretary Gavin Williamson are rated below Mr Johnson.

The slump also follows controversy over vaccine passports. Two months ago, the PM had a net approval rating of 55.6.

In contrast, Mr Sunak’s reputation appears to be almost unaffected. He remains the second most popular member of the Cabinet with Tory activists, with a net approval rating of 74.1. 

The most recent survey also found that a narrow majority of Tory activists now believe the PM is dealing with the pandemic ‘badly’.

While 44.4 per cent of activists said the PM was handling the crisis well, 48 per cent said he was dealing with it badly.

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