Boris Johnson’s approval rating drops by 20 points since Cummings saga

The Prime Minister’s approval rate has plummeted, according to the tracker (Picture: PA/ Savanta)

Boris Johnson’s approval rating drops by 20 points since Cummings saga Comment Lucy MiddletonTuesday 26 May 2020 10:27 am Share this article via facebookShare this article via twitterShare this article via messenger 444 SHARES The Prime Minister’s approval rate has plummeted, according to the tracker (Picture: PA/ Savanta) Boris Johnson’s approval rating has dropped to -1% after he refused to sack Dominic Cummings for driving to Durham during lockdown. According to Savanta, a coronavirus data tracker which looks at how the UK population is responding to the pandemic, the Prime Minister’s rating was previously +19% just four days ago.

It states that the overall government approval rate is now at -2%, having dropped 16 points in a day. Johnson’s approval rating is now also the lowest of all the individuals examined, with Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s the second lowest at 4%. Mr Cummings’ rating has not been tracked. Labour leader Keir Starmer’s approval rating also lifted to 12% on Monday, while Chancellor Rishi Sunak dropped from 35% four days ago to 20%. He also actively defended Mr Cummings’ actions, stating that the adviser had been ‘motivated by trying to protect his son’.

The tracker showed how Johnson’s rating had dramatically dipped (Picture: Savanta) Visit our live blog for the latest updates: Coronavirus news live Boris Johnson has consistently defended Dominic Cummings’ actions (Picture: PA)

The dramatic changes follow several days of intense scrutiny for the government after it emerged that Mr Cummings had broken lockdown restrictions by travelling more than 250 miles from his home in March.

In a highly unusual move, the senior adviser then made a televised statement on Monday in which he claimed he had no other alternative but to rely on his nieces in Durham for childcare after he and his wife experienced coronavirus symptoms. He also claimed that a second outing to Barnard Castle, 30 miles away from where he was staying with his family, had been done to ‘test’ his eyesight before he made the journey back to London on April 14. Mr Cummings denied going back to Durham after that date.

The senior adviser confirmed that he would not be resigning from his position, and did not apologise for his actions during the conference. He was later defended by Johnson, for the second time this week, at the daily press briefing. Mr Cummings made a televised statement on Monday (Picture: EPA) The PM said he too had seen his eyesight worsen after battling Covid-19 and emphasised again that he thought Mr Cummings had acted ‘legally’ and ‘with integrity’.

When asked by journalists if he had any regrets over what happened, Johnson responded: ‘Yes of course, I do regret the confusion and anger and the pain that people feel.

’ As well as measuring public approval, the coronavirus data tracker also revealed that worry about the pandemic is now at the lowest since it began. Around 35% of people said they are either very worried or the most worried they have felt so far. The data has also shown that now ‘roughly’ equal proportions of people say their disposable income has and hasn’t been impacted by the ongoing restrictions in place. Meanwhile, the number of people self-isolating is also at the lowest it’s been since the 21st March, at just 23%.

Source:https:metro.co.uk/