Sky Data poll: A nation discontented and divided
The UK is a discontented and divided nation, the latest Sky Data tracker poll reveals as the country appears close to a Brexit deal.
Our poll was conducted in the week before the government announced a new deal with the EU, which could yet reward the Conservatives with a bump in support that they would surely look to cash in on at a general election.
After three years of Brexit negotiations, and a decade of austerity combined with sluggish wage growth, the British public is in a disgruntled and unforgiving mood.
It is fairly satisfied with the job Boris Johnson is doing as PM – with 46% of people satisfied and 49% dissatisfied, a net rating of -3%.
This is a considerable improvement on his predecessor Theresa May, who this time last year had a net rating of -31%.
Mr Johnson’s popularity might climb higher if he can secure the parliamentary backing for a deal that eluded Mrs May.
It is worth noting, though, that this level of approval after just three months in office is modest by historical standards – and worse than every one of the past five PMs at the same stage: John Major (+44%), Tony Blair (+46%), Gordon Brown (+18%), David Cameron (+34%) and Mrs May (+16%).
Mr Johnson’s ratings are better than those of his opponents. Satisfaction with Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the Labour Party has declined steadily since the 2017 election, with his net rating of -55% among the worst of any Labour or Conservative leader since 1945 (only Michael Foot, Margaret Thatcher and John Major have polled worse).
Jo Swinson has not enjoyed much of a honeymoon with the public as leader of the Liberal Democrats, with half saying they are dissatisfied with her performance and just under a quarter being satisfied (a net rating of -27%).
This is surprising given that the party has gained support in the polls since the European Parliament elections in May.
By comparison, the month before the party won more than 20% of the national vote in May 2010, then leader Nick Clegg had an approval rating of +53%. It is striking that none of the party leaders are viewed particularly fondly by the public.
The parties are also perceived to be deeply split, with 73% of people saying the Conservatives are divided and 68% saying the same of Labour.
This is hardly surprising given the Conservatives recently expelled 21 rebel MPs over Brexit and leading figures such as Rory Stewart and Amber Rudd have resigned from the party, while the latest episode in Labour Party infighting was the failed attempt to abolish the deputy leader position held by Tom Watson.
What is unusual in historical terms is that both parties are seen as so divided at the same time.
Brexit has made British politics and society increasingly fractious, with divisive rhetoric used in newspaper headlines and online aimed at politicians, civil servants, journalists, judges and others (“traitors”, “saboteurs”, “wreckers”, “surrender”, etc).
To investigate public antipathy towards politics and politicians, we asked how much people trusted the parliament at Westminster. Some 69% expressed distrust.
This is more than 20 points higher than when the British Election Study asked people the same question in 2010, not long after the parliamentary expenses scandal (at the time thought to be a low point in trust in parliament).
To our surprise, the level of distrust in the EU is slightly lower than in Westminster, with 59% of people expressing distrust.
These results primarily reflect differences between Leave and Remain voters in their attitudes towards the EU. Both groups are similarly distrustful of Westminster, whereas 55% of Leave voters expressed no trust in the EU, compared to just 11% of Remain voters.
Brexit has been a plague on both your houses for the Leave and Remain-backing politicians in parliament.
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