Rishi Sunak’s popularity with Tory grassroots surges

Rishi Sunak has seen a surge in his popularity among Tory members, a new survey suggests. The Prime Minister shot up from sixth from bottom to sixth from top in the latest Conservative Home Cabinet league table.

Mr Sunak’s net satisfaction rating stood at just 7.4 points last month.

But he has enjoyed a huge jump this month up to 43.7 making him the sixth most popular in the list.

The Prime Minister’s turnaround with the rank and file comes in a month which has seen him strike his Windsor Framework with the EU on post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland.

There was a small backbench rebellion with 22 Tory MPs – including former PMs Boris Johnson and Liz Truss – voting against the agreement but it passed with a majority of 486.

It also comes after Mr Sunak unveiled the Government’s plan to crack down on small boats with the Illegal Migration Bill.

The Prime Minister also travelled to California to announce new details about the Aukus pact with the US and Australia for a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines.

Meanwhile, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace remains at the top of the Cabinet league table with a net satisfaction rating of 85.1.

Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch, a former Tory leadership candidate, is second on 63.5 points.

The survey was carried out before the UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) free trade agreement was announced last Friday in a huge Brexit win.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly is third in the table with a rating of 63, which is slightly down from the month before.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman is fourth with a score of 47.8, up from just 20.4 last November.

Commons leader Penny Mordaunt comes fifth with a net satisfaction rating of 46.2.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay, security minister Tom Tugendhat and veterans minister Johnny Mercer complete the top 10.

At the other end of the table, Environment Secretary Theresa Coffey comes last with a score of minus 2.3.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, who unveiled his Budget last month, is third from bottom with a rating of just 1.7.

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