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Johnson's party loses UK opinion poll lead after sleaze scandal

Sunday, 14 November 2021 9:17 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 14 November 2021 10:07 AM ]

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrives to visit a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination center at a pharmacy in Sidcup, London, Britain, November 12, 2021. (Reuters photo)

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's party has lost their lead in two opinion surveys following a growing parliamentary standards scandal.

While a poll conducted for the Times newspaper on Tuesday and Wednesday put the Conservatives level with the opposition Labour Party, another survey carried out for the Daily Mail on Thursday and Friday put Labour six points ahead.

This comes after the premier was forced earlier this week to say that "the UK is not remotely a corrupt country" after he had led efforts to protect a former cabinet minister from a Commons suspension over lobbying and overhaul Westminster’s standards watchdog.

Backed by Johnson, Conservative lawmakers narrowly voted to halt a proposed 30-day suspension from parliament of Owen Paterson, who had been found guilty of repeatedly lobbying for two firms, which paid him nearly three times his annual salary.

Instead, they pushed through a proposal to delay the suspension and set up a new committee to review his case and the wider system of investigating lawmakers.

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According to the YouGov survey for the Times, 60 percent of the respondents agreed with the statement "the Conservatives these days give the impression of being very sleazy and disreputable," up from 51 percent in April. Just 33 percent agreed with the same statement for the opposition.

Meanwhile, the Savanta ComRes poll for the Daily Mail found Labour now held a six-point lead over the Conservatives, reversing a three-point Conservative lead last week.

The Mail poll found that 60 percent of Conservative voters want an apology from Johnson for recent events, although the prime minister has, so far, refused to apologize.

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In spite of criticism for their handling of the pandemic, Johnson's party, which has been in power since 2010, has largely remained in the lead in opinion polls since the election in 2019.

Johnson’s own approval rating, however, has just dropped to a new low since last week, sitting now at -21, with 30 percent approving and 51 percent disapproving of the job he is doing.

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