‘Abrasive’ Truss turns off floating voters who backed Tories at last general election, YouGov focus group says | Politics News

On Thursday, a day after the end of the conference season, YouGov hosted a focus group with seven Green Wall voters from across the Southeast exclusively for Sky News.

Some Natural Conservatives, some former Tony Blair supporters, all have one thing in common: voted for Tory in the 2019 general election. Now their votes have been increased. to take.

Here’s what our floating voter focus group found:

No one said they would definitely vote for Tory in the next election

Of the seven strong groups, all of whom voted for Boris Johnson, none is willing to say they will definitely vote for Tory next time. Only one participant of the focus group confirmed that they are more likely to not support Liz Truss’ party next time – indicating that there are many doubts raised by the rest.

Some in the group are not overly enthusiastic about the alternative – a Labor government – but feel that this is the default for the country because of their deep concern for the existing group in power.

Stephanie, a lawyer, stated: “I think she (Truss) can do it? No. I don’t think she has the skills, experience or team behind her, and they are all doing it. fight against themselves.”

The group didn’t seem to think a month ago they wouldn’t have liked Liz Truss – with Phyllis, an admirer of Margaret Thatcher, saying she was starting to believe the new Prime Minister would be better than Boris Johnson. But the decisions Truss made during his first four weeks in office had a profound impact on these voters.

Voters worry Truss plan is dangerous

The focus group demonstrated that voters heeded the succession of new government announcements and feared Truss’ change of direction.

“For her plan to work, it required a huge loan and that drove interest rates up,” said Jane, a hospital inspector. “So we could potentially bankrupt the country. What Liz Truss is suggesting is very reckless. I don’t think this is the time for us to experiment.”

Phyllis, a cashier, said that Truss was “too hard” with her plan without contacting. Others worry what it will mean in practice.

David, who is retired, says “you can’t just say growth, growth, development. What’s the plan behind that?” Only one member of the group, Patrick, was positive and said he admired her bravery.

Voters Don’t Like Truss’s Personality

Only one in seven members of our focus group at the end of the session voted to say they trust Liz Truss. Even that supporter, Patrick, volunteered that he felt she had less energy, like a “teacher” and “delivery wasn’t there” but liked Bao’s messages. core player she espouses.

The group doesn’t see her as the unifying character. Paul, a former local government official, said she was “very abrasive” in her conference speech. He highlighted her childhood participating in CND rallies, saying she was “taking it out” when Greenpeace protesters interrupted the speech.

Jane, a mother of twins, thinks her attack on the “anti-growth coalition” is really divisive. “I find her very annoying (clock),” while Jasmine, who works in the financial services industry, thinks Truss is when she’s most intoxicated when she attacks others.

These south-turned voters are cautiously heading towards Labor

Three out of seven say they are likely to vote for Labor at the next election. The other two members of the group are still undecided. For a party that has recently struggled to get disgruntled Tory voters to consider Labor, this is a good result.

Keir Starmer was described by one focus group member as “the less evil”, most of whom feel the Labor leader now has the political advantage.

David, who used to be an auditor, says it is now “inevitable” to have a Labor government – a sense of certainty that is often politically beneficial for a political party. However, not without enthusiasm.

Keir Starmer is still damaged by the Corbyn years and fears about going astray to the left

These voters south of the Green Wall are still troubled by what they see as the stain of the Corbyn years. Jane said she voted for Boris Johnson in 2019 because of Jeremy Corbyn and anti-Semitism.

Patrick, who worked in the railroad industry, highlighted how many shadow cabinets have served under Jeremy Corbyn.

David said that while Keir Starmer knew he needed to have central policies in place to be able to be elected, “I am very worried that because of the makeup of the Labor Parliamentary Party, he will be under pressure. very big to move to the left in government”.

Many in the group fear that the Labor government could mean more strikes: just one, Paul, who works in local government, says inflation could mean in some cases case, they are justifiable.

Many in Westminster could see Starmer severed ties with much of the Corbyn era – the public was not so clear about the distinction.

Voters still don’t believe that Keir Starmer is strong enough

The Labor Team Leader is considered by most of the team members to be honest, kind and a good salesman. But there is still a lingering concern about whether he will be tough enough to join his party if they require him to lean to the left to take power.

Some in the group questioned his lack of policy specifics. David said the party was “just very polarizing: you’ve got the left pole and then you’ve got the middle and then there’s Keir Starmer, who’ll say anything.”

Jane says his difficulty “was a divided party and he struggled to communicate his personal beliefs.”

Stephanie also feels Starmer is more centrist than leftist “but Labor is funded by unions so he may have to support them”. She added.

Voters are still hot with Boris Johnson. There is no hope of return

Stephanie, a Thatcher fan, said she was embarrassed and embarrassed by the Conservatives.

David said that having voted Conservative, the more he saw Boris Johnson, the more impressed he was by his intellectual abilities… but time ticked “I just lost complete confidence in him; he had no moral compass”.

There was still disgust at the party, while Jane was still tense about what had happened during the Johnson era.

Voters want a general election more than another Tory leadership contest

Patrick, the most ardent Conservative supporter of the group, said that if the Conservatives did not rally around Liz Truss, “they are committing political suicide”.

Jane, however, says we’ve passed the point of no return: “I don’t think she’ll survive. I think she’ll slowly give up on everything because she’ll watch her popularity dwindle. , then she ‘ I won’t be able to manage her MPs and we’ll have a general election sooner rather than later.

Three of the party say that the Tories should get rid of Liz Truss. Four out of seven want an early election.

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The Core of a Country Conservative Values ​​Still Pervasive

What’s dangerous for Labour and Starmer is the lingering fear of the left, and the lingering affection for Tory’s core values. Patrick says the Tories should return to a position of law and order, high growth, low taxes and pro-aspiration.

As well as strong public services, Jane said, she believes in a healthy economy that will provide the tax revenue to support them.

Jasmine, who can now back Labor, said “The Tories still take the country’s interests in essence”.

Focus group participants worry deeply about the future

Every member of the group said they were “negative” about Britain’s future.

Stephanie said she has no faith in those responsible for solving the nation’s problems. Jane said she felt “very worried” for her children, adding that there was an “arrogant disconnect” between leaders and voters but what was different this time was “desperation”. at the border” represented by the use of food banks.

Phyllis feels it was less bad in the 1980s than it is today because during the Thatcher era there was greater social mobility.

David says the difference between the 1970s and now is house prices. Jane concluded by saying that she thinks “we are on the verge of some social unrest”, adding that she “doesn’t want to see strikes and wants people to negotiate but some people will be so desperate.”

It’s hard to stay in power if that sentiment is widely felt.