Public prefers Starmer to Sunak but millions still undecided, poll suggests
30 December 2023, 22:47 | Updated: 30 December 2023, 22:49
Sir Keir Starmer is preferred to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak by 10 per cent but millions remain undecided on the two leaders, a new poll on the eve of an election year.
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32 per cent of those polled said the Labour leader was their preferred leader of he and Sunak - with Starmer also leading the poll in swathes of constituencies across the UK.
The poll by The Sunday Times suggests that Starmer is also ahead in the Prime Minister's constituency of Richmond, North Yorkshire.
The poll is likely to discourage Sunak from fighting 2024's anticipated general election for a presidential-style mandate.
Sunak only mustered 22 per cent of preferences - and leads Starmer in just 29 out of 632 constituencies.
Sunak may find some encouragement in the 10,000-person poll from the fact 238 constituencies were undecided between the pair - a figure that the PM will hope he can gain a significant majority of.
The Sunday Times also revealed that the PM has met multiple times with Dominic Cummings, former election guru and special advisor to Boris Johnson, in a bit to turn around the Tories dismal polling results.
The pair reportedly met for dinner in Yorkshire in July this year.
This was preceded by meeting in December 2022, just after Sunak became leader, in which the svengali advised the PM to hold an emergency budget in order to reverse Johnson's tax rises and raise income tax brackets.
Cummings told The Sunday Times: "He wanted a secret deal in which I delivered the election for him and he promised to take government seriously after.
"But I'd rather the Tories lose than continue in office without prioritising what's important and the voters."
Downing Street did not deny that a meeting took place but insists that "no job was offered".
