Liz Truss might be ahead of Rishi Sunak, but neither of them are Tory members' top choice
On August 14, the Observer published the results of an exclusive poll from Opinium of Tory members on the ongoing leadership contest. The headline figure showed Liz Truss has a seemingly unassailable lead over Rishi Sunak – with 61 per cent of members backing Truss and 39 per cent backing Sunak.
The polling fits the general consensus on the state of play in the leadership contest. However, it also revealed who Tory members really want to be leading the country.
63 per cent of Truss backers said they want Boris Johnson to remain in charge, as did 68 per cent of Sunak’s supporters.
The poll demonstrates how out of step the Tory membership is with the wider public. Opinium’s latest poll on Johnson found that he has a net approval rating of -44.
An indication that the Tory membership are less than enthusiastic about the leadership candidates on offer? Or a sign that they are happy to overlook the scandal, bigotry and incompetence that Johnson’s premiership gave us?
Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward
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