Three fifths of Brits say Partygate has damaged trust in all politicians, with nearly three quarters saying Boris Johnson considered himself above Covid rules, according to new polling by Omnisis.
As the dust settles on Partygate, voters had their say on the former Prime Minister with 70% saying he considered himself above the rules.
Voters had this to say on Partygate:
- 59% said they believed ‘unsocially distanced farewell gatherings’ were not permitted under Covid guidelines, with 24% saying they believed they were permitted.
- 58% said Partygate damages trust in all politicians, with 29% saying it didn’t damage trust.
- 70% said Boris Johnson considered himself above the rules, with 17% saying he did not consider himself above the rules.
- 68% said Partygate was a distraction from the bigger issues facing the country, 18% said it was not a distraction.
- 90% said they expected politicians to abide by the rules they set. 6% said they did not expect this.
Brian Cooper, Managing Director of Omnisis, said: “What is very clear from our polling this week is that the majority of voters find it hard to believe Boris Johnson, and don’t think staff leaving events were permitted under the Covid guidelines.
“What stood out particularly to us was the residual impact of Partygate on British politics, with 58% of people saying it has damaged their trust in all politicians.
“The cornerstone of democracy is being able to trust those who represent you in Parliament. In the wake of Partygate, it appears those who hold the people in power to account need to look carefully at how the system is policed and portrayed to the public.”
Meanwhile, in the wake of the Casey Review into policing standards in the Met, Omnisis asked voters how recent controversies had affected their trust in policing nationally and in London:
- 63% agreed recent cases had undermined their trust in UK policing, 13% disagreed.
- 59% agreed that there is institutional sexism in the Met with 10% disagreeing.
- 53% agreed there is institutional sexism in UK police forces, with 12% disagreeing.
- 59% agreed there is institutional racism in the Met, with 12% disagreeing.
- 51% agreed there is institutional racism in UK police forces, with 15% disagreeing.
Finally, in its weekly voter intention tracker, Omnisis polling found the Tories and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak were making a comeback.
ON VOTER INTENTION
- Lab: 44% (-2)
- Con: 29% (+4)
- LD: 10% (+4)
- SNP: 3% (NC)
- Ref: 6% (-3)
- Green: 5% (-2)
ON PRIME MINISTER’S APPROVAL
- Approve: 36% (+6)
- Disapprove: 35% (-5)
- Don’t know: 28% (-1)
- Net approval: +1
ON WHO’D MAKE THE BEST PRIME MINISTER
- Sir Keir Starmer: 34% (-2)
- Rishi Sunak: 37% (+5)
- Don’t Know: 29% (-3)
ON BREXIT SENTIMENT
When asked how people would vote if there were another EU Referendum tomorrow:
All respondents
- Stay Out: 33% (+1)
- Re-join: 48% (NC)
Excluding won’t vote and don’t know
- Stay Out: 41% (+2)
- Re-join: 59% (-2)
The poll, conducted on 23rd-24th March 2023, questioned 1,382 people and is weighted to a national representative population. The tables will be published here: https://www.omnisis.co.uk/poll-results