So, the verdict is very much in. The imaginary so-called ‘centre-ground’ – the Conservatives mimicking much the same outlook as Labour – has led to a notable decline in Conservative support.
Not only that, but the Rishi Sunak, Jeremy Hunt, Lord Cameron triple-act seems to have boosted a rival party as well.
It still find it utterly bewildering that the Conservatives have chosen to go down this path. The message from the 2019 election from voters seems to be a distant memory for the Tories.
A clear instruction to maximise Brexit opportunities, seize the mantle of post-Brexit independence and reduce migration has been completely disregarded.
And the return of Remainer-in-Chief, the now Lord Cameron, as Foreign Secretary is an emphatic snub to the Brexit-backing majority.
Voters aren’t daft. They can see what is going on, this absurd shift the Government has chosen to take without consulting voters.
YouGov’s latest research once again demonstrates the catastrophic effect this shift in Conservative direction has had.
Labour, as has been standard for a while now, possess a bumper national poll lead. They are sitting on 45%.
The Tories meanwhile have declined to 22% with YouGov, perilously close to dipping below 20% for General Election support.
And at the same time Reform UK hit 10% support in YouGov’s polling, now the third party ahead of the Liberal Democrats on 9%.
When you boil this down further though, you can see the damning, decisive verdict that Brexit voters and Tory supporters have delivered.
Just 55% of those who voted for the Conservative in 2019 are currently intending to stick with the party. Now a fifth (20%) of those who voted Tory last time round are now backing Reform, higher than the number of switchers to Labour (15%).
Leavers meanwhile are split three ways: only 39% still intend to vote Conservative, with 25% now backing Labour and 23% supporting the Reform Party.
This will horrify Conservative MPs who will fear a wipeout. Richard Tice is still pledging that he will not be standing down candidates – in fact he’s arguing the Tories should be standing down against Reform.
If the Conservative Government had actually cut migration, slashed taxes, strengthened our borders and seized Brexit competitive advantage, Tory MPs may have had a compelling argument as to why voters should continue to back them.
Instead they’ve binned Boris Johnson and opted for Lord Cameron as Foreign Secretary. What sort of message is that to Brexit voters?
