Sunak suffers poll blow as levelling-up cash-for-votes row erupts
Sunak suffers poll blow as levelling-up cash-for-votes row erupts
New poll gives Labour its biggest lead since Liz Truss meltdown as ‘Tory towns’ gain most from new funds
The Tory general election campaign hit more trouble on Saturday as Rishi Sunak faced accusations of using levelling up funds to win votes and Labour opened its biggest poll lead since the disastrous premiership of Liz Truss.
As Sunak tried to fire up his party’s campaign before the first crucial TV debate with Keir Starmer on Tuesday, it emerged that more than half of the 30 towns each promised £20m of regeneration funding on Saturday were in constituencies won by Tory MPs at the last election.
Some 17 of the £20m pots went to towns in areas won by the Conservatives in 2019, although two of those were no longer held by Conservative MPs when the general election was called.
Just eight awards were made to towns in Labour seats, although many of the party’s strongholds tend to be in more deprived areas in need of levelling up money.
The funding pledge led to accusations from Sunak’s opponents of “pork barrel” politics, while those involved in regeneration of the north said the announcement was more about winning votes than levelling up.
The row came as the latest Opinium poll for the Observer on Sunday gives Labour a 20-point lead – the highest level it has recorded since Truss was briefly running the country.
This is despite Labour having endured a torrid week on the election trail and days of infighting over whether veteran Diane Abbott should be allowed to stand again.
Labour is on 45% – up four points on last weekend, while the Conservatives are down two points on 25%. Reform is up on one on 11%, the Lib Dems down two on 8%, and the Greens down one on 6%.
The poll also showed more people (45%) thought the Tories’ big announcement last weekend – the reintroduction of a form of mandatory national service for 18-year-olds – was a bad idea than thought it was a good one (35%).
Please vote tactically. Let's put the Tories in third place or worse.
Seriosly that would be hilarious. And honestly looking at electoral calculus. Very doable if younger voters make an effort to agree and turn out.
Unfortunately it means voting lib dem in large numbers. As they are the only party predicted to gain seats close to the tories. Also they are where moderate tory voters are likely to go if scared of labours left leaning support.
Atm electoral calculus puts tories at a predicted 66 seats. Take some time to laugh at that one.
Lib dems at 59. So moving 4 or more safe tory seats to lib dem really would do this.
Looking at the electoral calculus predictive models. It would take an average of a 10 % swing in what they call Lib Dem medium strength seats.
Honestly this is very doable if younger anti tory voters turn out in much higher number then normal. And agree tory removal is more important under fptp. Then voting you actual desires for more left of centre options. Those options have low odds of gaining these seats anyway.
Come on guys. Sell how funny having the tories as not only out. But not even in opposition would be to your friends.
I live in a historically tory safe area. Where both boundary changes and polling. Make it a lib dem predicted win. Hell it looks like most of oxfordxhire is predicting lib dem atm. With the City going labour.
Also it would mean an opposition party that trully supports an end to fptp. And has done since the 80s at least. So question time will become a bit more interesting. If actual spending policy becomes little more then minor bickering.
Unfortunately it means voting lib dem in large numbers.
The lack of enthusiasm for Labour plus the desire to get the Tories out should make it easier to hold your nose and put a cross on the page.
Come on guys. Sell how funny having the tories as not only out. But not even in opposition would be to your friends.
I could definitely see a Troll the Tories spin on tactical voting going viral.
And you can do more. I live in a safe Labour seat and most of my friend's live just over the boundary in one of the safest Labour seats in the country (you'd have more luck seeing a fox than a Tory), so a friend is looking into helping the campaign in marginal Tory seats - there are a couple within a 30-60 minute drive.
Or just promote tactical voting resources on social media. They'll get shared on here, along with articles about it.
According to the FT's polling model, if the Tories' vote share falls to about 20%, the Lib Dems will beat them in terms of seats even with only about 9% of the vote. So, it wouldn't take much tactical voting for that to be a real possibility.
Even more hilariously, in that model, the Lib Dems would actually be fourth, behind Reform, in vote share.
Even more hilariously, in that model, the Lib Dems would actually be fourth, behind Reform, in vote share.
I wouldn't want to encourage the Gammon Party but it would be delicious gravy.
Honestly, if they'd funnelled all the money into labour seats we could still make the accusation of vote buying.
At this point, the only thing people trust about the Tories is their corruption.
Very much so. Its not like bribery was unexpected from the party. I honestly predicted something more direct. Like a few billion cost of living payment within the first 100 days.
Corruption is def what gained the tories low pole numbers.
But honestly their announcements leading up to and during the election. All are bad but these stand out.
Trying to start a culture war with disabled people.
National service.
Pension promises.
They are so clearly aimed at small groups of traditional tory voters. Rather then mass appeal.
It really is hard to see them as anything but desperate and out of touch.
They are so clearly aimed at small groups of traditional tory voters. Rather then mass appeal.
On Any Questions one of the panellists said this was brace-position campaigning - trying to get their base out to shore up support in their heartland and minimise losses.
Desperate, totally agree.
They're bailing water from a sinking ship and firmly believe that this is the only way to prevent a wipeout, they're so scared of reform.
Hilarious to watch. They're in touch with such a narrow slice of the country.
Vote these rats out.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
The Tory general election campaign hit more trouble on Saturday as Rishi Sunak faced accusations of using levelling up funds to win votes and Labour opened its biggest poll lead since the disastrous premiership of Liz Truss.
As Sunak tried to fire up his party’s campaign before the first crucial TV debate with Keir Starmer on Tuesday, it emerged that more than half of the 30 towns each promised £20m of regeneration funding on Saturday were in constituencies won by Tory MPs at the last election.
Henri Murison, chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, an independent body representing business and civic leaders in the north of England, criticised the regeneration announcement.
Justin Madders, who retained the seat of Ellesmere Port and Neston in the north-west of England for Labour in 2019, said “given their monumental failure to deliver on levelling up over the last four years, why would anyone believe this is going to make a difference now?”
Lib Dem Treasury spokesman Sarah Olney said: “It will take more than this desperate attempt at pork barrel politics to win over voters after years of failure on the NHS and cost of living.”
Labour renewed the row between the two main parties over tax, saying that chancellor Jeremy Hunt must rule out increasing VAT on things including food and children’s clothes, after he seemed to leave the door open to raising it.
The original article contains 966 words, the summary contains 232 words. Saved 76%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!
Reform is up on one on 11%, the Lib Dems down two on 8%, and the Greens down one on 6%.