At just over 700 replies, the low response rate reflects not only the summer season but diminished expectations. This is a bleak return for the Government as Parliament resumes.
Also: Scottish Government’s legal regulation reforms denounced by judges and lawyers; Ross offers to work with Nationalist rebels to break Greens’ grip on government; new scandal for PSNI as High Court finds it illegally disciplined officers.
My explanation? The Uxbridge & South Ruislip by-election result – and the Prime Minister’s tilt from green politics to red – or rather blue – meat.
In the meantime, the Scottish Conservatives are gearing up to go on the offensive.
The last thing Anas Sarwar wants as he fights to win back central Scotland is fresh fuel for the Nationalists’ claim his party are red Tories.
It’s been a quieter political month with lots of publicity for the Government’s small boats plan. Ben Wallace continues his reign at the top of the ratings.
Sunak’s rating is still lamentable and Hunt remains in negative ratings, but Sturgeon’s fall and Zelensky’s visit made last month’s political background less unfavourable.
So does Raab. Our top three are unchanged – and Alister Jack’s rating is up slightly, taking him to sixth place.
The Defence Secretary stays top, and he, Kemi Badenoch and James Cleverly remain the only three Cabinet members to score above 50 points in both November’s and this Christmas survey.
The average score is the lowest recently, though not by all that much – a natural extension of the panel’s verdict yesterday on the Government’s economic policy.
Scotland under the Sturgeon is the highest-taxed and worst governed part of the UK. That’s the result of the SNP’s failure to square up to its responsibilities, rather than concentrating on their separatist fantasies.
Wallace is top again. Badenoch and Cleverly score well. Sunak wins a respectable rating. And Williamson is in negative territory.
Why has neither he nor Heaton-Harris pushed back against Sinn Fein’s nonsensical claims about ‘joint authority’ with Dublin?
The Prime Minister’s score is still dire: he is back in positive ratings, but not by very much. Though a substantial minority of the panel want him on the leadership election ballot and/or would vote for him had they the option, a larger majority of it does not.
Also: it looks like it will be a good day for Labour in both Wales and Scotland as Douglas Ross struggles to make headway.
Scotland under the Sturgeon is the highest-taxed and worst governed part of the UK. That’s the result of the SNP’s failure to square up to its responsibilities, rather than concentrating on their separatist fantasies.