There’s a good reason voters aren’t thanking Rishi Sunak for falling inflation

If inflation is halved by the end of the year the prime minister might enjoy some credit, says Tom Peck. But he could have done more to dampen price rises

Rishi Sunak shows his painting of a bee at the Busy Bees nursery in Harrogate on Monday (AFP/Getty)

Inflation is steadily falling and Rishi Sunak could yet meet his pledge to halve it by the end of the year. When he made the promise in January, it stood at over 10 per cent. It is now down to around 6.5. But according to a YouGov poll, Sunak is not being given credit by the public for the improving situation. Only 8 per cent of respondents credited Sunak with the more positive news on inflation, with the vast majority attributing the better outlook to tough decisions made by the Bank of England.

Even among Conservative voters, just 12 per cent cited government policy as responsible for the drop. The YouGov poll suggested most voters believe inflation has dropped because of external factors such as falling global oil and gas prices. More than one-third of the public said external factors were responsible, while 31 per cent said they did not know. The poll also showed voters overwhelmingly expect to become worse off in the next 12 months, spelling trouble for Tory hopes ahead of a general election expected next year.

Should voters be more grateful to Rishi Sunak?