By new inflation in the UK, millions of households will experience skyrocketing energy bills and living costs. Polls show that British voters who massively supported the Conservative in 2019 are disappointed today. The top concern of the Conservative Party is that Boris Johnson has gone from a vote-winner to an unpopular leader.
PM Voted Off Millions of British Voters
Thousands of Brits across the country took to the streets to protest skyrocketing living costs in recent days. Discontented protestors called for the government to tax the rich as inflation and energy prices increased. Working people struggle to feed their children and heat their homes without any governmental help.
The ruling Conservative Party is in its worst position since Boris Johnson took office in 2019. British voters think the Conservative government is not competent. Boris Johnson, the populist leader of the Conservative Party, has voted off millions of British voters. Boris Johnson did not soften economic pressures, and households have experienced higher living costs. Moreover, PM broke the rules and held gatherings at Downing Street during the national lockdowns. Recent polls have suggested that the Conservative Party under Boris Johnson has fallen behind the Labor Party.
Boris Johnson Unpopular Among British Voters
As British voters abandon the Conservative government, the Conservative Party fears losing some of its parliamentary seats. A poll by the Observer has suggested that the Labor Party surged into a nine-point lead over the Conservative Party. Boris Johnson’s rating has also fallen to minus 35 percent among the British voters. PM’s popularity has dropped a lot, and two-thirds of British voters consider him an unfavourable leader. Boris Johnson did not handle the Covid pandemic well and did not follow his government’s rules.
A survey of mid-January by the Observer suggested that PM has become less popular than his predecessor Theresa May. According to one YouGov poll, 63 percent of the UK general population believe the prime minister should resign. And 40 percent of British voters who supported Conservative to elect Boris Johnson in 2019 now think he should leave.
PM Faced Resignation Calls
Boris Johnson faced calls for resignation from the conservative rebel MPs who disapproved of the PM’s mismanagement. Also, a wave of Conservative resignation has rocked the prime minister, which has challenged his party leadership. The party is chaotic, and several MPs have submitted letters of no confidence to challenge his leadership. Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party is losing support as it slumped 13 points behind Labor Party in a poll. A survey by Redfield and Wilton Strategies revealed that 43 percent of British voters would vote for the Labors. Only 30 percent of responders said they would vote for the Conservatives. It is Labor’s first lead since early 2008 as British voters are angry at Johnson’s shameful, rule-breaking gatherings. At the same time, the UK’s inflation rate went up quickly in 2021 and will go up in 2022.
Government Should Not Remove Price Cap
Growing prices of food, services, energy, housing have resulted in public discontent. Andrew Bailey, the Bank of England’s governor, announced that annual inflation would hit 7.4 percent in 2022. Bailey believes Britain faces the worst fall in living standards after 1990 that ordinary families cannot afford. If the government removes the price cap on energy bills, then the cost of heating and lighting will rise by up to 50 percent.
A pollster, Opinium, found that British voters want the government to cap the price of food and other essentials. Based on the poll, 71 percent of British voters support price controls to stop the rising living costs. As the UK inflation soared to the highest level since 1992, living costs put massive pressure on household budgets. Britain is forecast to experience much higher living costs in the coming months.
Highest Inflation in Three Decades Hits UK
The Conservative administration failed to address a significant issue, the cost of living. UK inflation will hit a 30-year high as energy costs and demand for goods and services have surged. By increasing of default energy tariff price in April, economists expect inflation to rise to around 7 percent. UK high inflation is geographically dominant, and London is experiencing the fastest surge. The Economist Intelligence Unit announced that London has become more expensive as prices for households, goods, transport, and housing have surged. The Conservative Party is losing its supporters in the capital, and British voters lean towards the other political parties. According to a poll, the Conservatives are 32 points behind Labor in London after the revelation of the partygate scandal. This poll also showed that two-thirds of Londoners think Boris Johnson should resign.
Green Energy Policies Caused Economic Pressures
Recent energy price rises have hit some Brits severely that Age UK warned about the older generation. According to the Age UK, energy prices would leave millions of the elderly struggling to warm their homes. High costs of essentials have had a severe impact on the British elderly. Some lifelong Conservative supporters say they would not vote for the Conservatives in the future elections.
A third of British voters expect unaffordable energy bills and want Johnson to protect them from the energy crisis. Energy prices have increased, while Johnson follows the plans to reach net-zero carbon targets. PM has policies to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and promote renewable energy. Such policies have intensified the problem and put pressure on households. The UK has to import expensive natural gas and has stopped using cheaper domestic coal.
Covid Taxation Reduces Conservative Supporters
Boris Johnson will also raise payroll taxes to help support the NHS and cover Covid costs. Johnson promised that he would not raise payroll tax at the last election. His move has caused criticism within the Conservative Party and the opposition Labor Party. Higher taxation to help with the NHS Covid spending has hit British voters seriously. There is a correlation between the economy and the popularity of successive governments in Britain, which results in economic voting. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation, if people are optimistic about the future, they will support the governing party. Their optimism is based on the financial situation of households and general views about employment and savings in the future. People’s feelings about the general state of the economy in society have severe impacts on their political choice.
Conclusion
Many British households expect their energy bills to be unaffordable while paying higher taxes to cover NHS expenses. High living charges in the UK have caused 7 percent inflation and removed many Conservative voters. Economists expect the UK inflation to hit a 30-year high, which angered the public who struggles to afford the costs. Still worse, Conservative supporters have lost their faith in this government after the revelation of gatherings during the nationwide lockdowns. Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party enjoyed 12 parties, but people had to follow the rules and stay at home alone. Now, the UK’s economy suffers from a structural problem, and there is not much trust in this Conservative Party. Can Boris Johnson rebuild trust among the British voters and its party members, or is the time over for him?
