Boris Johnson ranks bottom in Cabinet among Tory activists in new survey

Surge in ratings after Ukraine invasion appears to have abated

(Dominic Lipinski/PA) (PA Wire)

Boris Johnson is the least popular member of cabinet among Conservative activists, according to a new survey.

The monthly ConservativeHome survey of party members puts the prime minister’s ratings deep into negative territory, with 15 per cent more thinking he is doing a bad job than a good one.

It is the first time Mr Johnson has come bottom of the satisfaction ratings in the regular survey since December, and appears to mark the end of a surge in popularity following his robust response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine which saw him reach a positive rating of +33 in early April.

The ConHome survey is not a scientific poll, but its findings are widely regarded as a good guide to the views of the most committed Tory activists.

With at least 20 letters of no-confidence in the PM submitted by Tory MPs, today’s results appear to reflect a growing concern among the party’s grassroots that the Partygate scandal has turned Mr Johnson into an electoral liability rather than an asset.

Most popular cabinet minister in the rankings is defence secretary Ben Wallace on +85, followed by education secretary Nadhim Zahawi on +66 and trade secretary on +65. Foreign secretary Liz Truss, who led the table for much of last year and is seen as a leading contender to replace Mr Johnson if he is forced out, came in fourth with +60.

One-time leadership favourite Rishi Sunak saw a rise in his ratings following last week’s £15bn package of cost-of-living support, edging up from -5 to +12 in overall satisfaction. But he remains at the bottom end of the popularity table, with only Cop26 chair Alok Sharma and Mr Johnson below him.