UK
Three quarters of Britons think country in a worse state now than when Tories came to power
Three quarters of Britons think the UK is in a worse state now than when the Conservative Party came to power in 2010, according to a YouGov poll.
The survey asked over 2,000 adults whether they think things are better, worse or the same as they were 13 years ago.
In a damning assessment of the Tories’ record in government, 75% of people said things were either much worse (41%) or somewhat worse (34%).
By comparison just 1% of voters said the party has left the country in a much better state, while 6% said that it is somewhat better.
A breakdown of the results by political affiliation suggests the dissatisfaction was even felt by a majority of Conservative voters, with 68% of people who voted for the Tories in 2019 saying things are worse.
It comes after a senior Tory MP warned his party faces “obliteration” at the next election after leaving the country in a worse state than they inherited it in.
Danny Kruger, co-founder of the New Conservatives and a leading figure on the right of the party, told a private event of Tory members that “the narrative that the public has now firmly adopted – that over 13 years things have got worse – is one we just have to acknowledge and admit”.
He said while some things have been done right, such as free schools and Brexit, “overall… if we leave office next year, we would have left the country sadder, less united and less conservative than when we found it”.
Mr Kruger made the comments in October but they emerged on Monday after being passed on to The Guardian.
He told the newspaper he was making the “case for realism and for honesty with the public” and his party faces “obliteration” if it does not “remember the people we work for”.
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The comments reflect the pessimism of many Tory MPs ahead of the next general election, expected in the second half of this year.
Polls suggest the Conservatives are on track to lose, which would bring to an end 14 years in power under five prime ministers.
However Rishi Sunak has insisted he is confident of a victory, telling voters in Accrington, Lancashire, on Monday that the choice they face is between sticking with the Conservatives’ long-term plan or going “back to square one” under Labour.
In an indication of how bitter and personal this year’s election campaign could be, the prime minister said: “The alternative is Keir Starmer, who would just take us back to square one.
“He has been leader of the Opposition for four years now and in that time, he hasn’t said what he would do differently. That’s because he doesn’t have a plan. He just snipes from the sidelines instead.”