Penny Mordaunt denies plotting to oust Rishi Sunak amid dire polls
Penny Mordaunt flatly denied plotting to oust Rishi Sunak today as a dire poll showed Tory support under the low point of Liz Truss.
Research by YouGov put the party on just 18 per cent – the worst the firm has recorded since 2019.
Worryingly for Conservatives, as well as trailing Labour by 26 points they are just three points ahead of Reform UK.
The findings emerged as the PM faces a moment of truth with rebels gearing up for another coup bid if local elections prove as bad as feared.
The Tories are expected to lose hundreds of councillors, while incumbents in Tees Valley and West Mids have been struggling to hang on.
There is also a by-election in Blackpool South where some believe Reform could knock them into third place.
Penny Mordaunt flatly denied plotting to oust Rishi Sunak today as a dire poll showed Tory support under the low point of Liz Truss
The PM faces a moment of truth with rebels gearing up for another coup bid if local elections prove as bad as feared
Research by YouGov put the party on just 18 per cent – the worst the firm has recorded since 2019
Ms Mordaunt has been at the centre of speculation about an effort to replace Mr Sunak, with critics saying he has failed to shift the dial despite apparent progress on Rwanda deportations and curbing legal migration.
Kemi Badenoch, Suella Braverman and Grant Shapps are also among those accused of being ‘on manoeuvres’. Rebels would need 52 MPs to send no-confidence letters to trigger a vote on the premier’s future.
Speaking at business questions in Parliament, the Commons Leader said: ‘I too have read that I’m to be installed rather like a new boiler into No10 next week.
‘And I have to say there is as much truth to these stories as there is in Labour’s assurances to its business community that it isn’t actually going to do the things it’s been saying it’s going to do, as it’s promised its union paymasters.
‘But let me say again, I support our Prime Minister and I will continue to support him after this weekend and beyond.’
Ms Mordaunt also expressed confidence that ‘something will crop up’ to turn the tide in the political struggle.
‘I think something is going to crop up because whether it’s pensions, the NHS, rail tax or welfare, the Labour Party claim they are going to do one thing, but are planning another and I think the public will see through this,’ she said.
‘It is the most audacious deception since the Big Bad Wolf donned a nightie and asked Little Red Riding Hood to admire his upper dentures. But unlike Red Riding Hood, the British people have met this wolf before and they remember it doesn’t end well.’
Kemi Badenoch (pictured), Suella Braverman and Grant Shapps are also among those accused of being ‘on manoeuvres’
The latest YouGov survey suggested the Tories had dropped two points since April 24.
The 18 per cent support was the lowest of this Parliament, worse than the 19 per cent under Ms Truss.
By contrast, Labour was on 44 per cent.
The last time YouGov recorded a lower vote share for the Tories was during 2019, in the run-up to the European Parliament elections of that year.
It also matches the lowest share Labour ever received under Jeremy Corbyn in the summer of 2019.
Read more