Devendra Kumar
According to a recent poll conducted by Ipsos UK, a majority of voters think that Rishi Sunak made the right decision in dismissing Suella Braverman as home secretary, with 70 per cent of respondents agreeing that his decision was justified. This sentiment is echoed across party lines, with 60 per cent of Conservative voters from the 2019 election also supporting Sunak’s decision. Only 17 per cent of respondents thought that removing Braverman was the wrong decision.
In contrast, the public’s opinion on David Cameron’s appointment as Foreign Secretary is more divided. While around a third of voters believe that his appointment was the right decision, 46 per cent think it was the wrong move. The poll also found that the public has a largely negative view of Cameron’s time as prime minister, with more than half of respondents saying that he did a bad job managing the UK’s relationship with the EU, immigration, and public services.
Cameron’s handling of foreign affairs is also under fire, with 38 per cent of respondents saying that he did a bad job, compared to 25 per cent who think he did a good job. Ipsos director of politics, Keiran Pedley, noted that the public’s negative view of Cameron’s time in office may be a significant factor in the divided opinion on his appointment as Foreign Secretary. Pedley also highlighted that while some voters may see Cameron as an improvement over the current government’s competency, few believe that his appointment will have a significant positive impact on the Conservatives’ chances in the next general election.
Furthermore, the poll found that 55 per cent of respondents think that Rishi Sunak was a weak leader, which is likely to be a concern for the prime minister. On the other hand, around a third of voters believe that Cameron will improve the level of competence in the government, but a similar proportion think that his appointment will harm the Conservatives’ chances in the next election. The poll highlights the complexities of public opinion on both sides of Sunak’s decisions, with some voters seeing him as a strong leader while others are critical of his choices.