Independent on Sunday / Sunday Mirror Political Poll

Political poll for the Sunday Mirror and Independent on Sunday, including voting intention.

BRITONS DIVIDED OVER BORIS’ EU MOTIVES

DAVID CAMERON & BORIS JOHNSON

Following Boris Johnson’s announcement that he will campaign for Brexit, the British public are split over whether they trust David Cameron (35%) or Johnson (34%) more than the other to do what is best for Britain.
Public opinion is divided on Boris Johnson’s motive; two in five (41%) say he made the decision because he believes it is best for Britain, while a similar proportion (39%) say he made this decision because he thinks it is the best thing for his career.
Conservative voters are twice as likely to say they trust David Cameron more than Boris Johnson to do what is best for Britain (54% say they trust Cameron more v 27% who trust Johnson more).

THE UK & THE EU

Britons are far more likely to expect the majority of voters in the UK to vote to stay in the EU at the referendum in June (48% v 30% who expect the majority to vote leave).
While more Britons say that national security would be stronger if Britain stays in the EU (42% v 35% if Britain leaves), they are more likely to say that the best way Britain can deal with the refugee crisis is to leave the EU (46% v 33% who say the best way to deal with it is to stay in).
Britons are more than twice as likely to oppose Turkey’s accession to the EU than support (50% v 18%).

GEORGE OSBORNE & THE ECONOMY

Having been in the role for more than five years, Britons are more likely to say that George Osborne has done a bad job as Chancellor than good (41% v 31%).
There is more bad news for the Chancellor ahead of the budget next week, with a majority of the public saying the British economy is no better off now than it was this time last year (51% v 31% saying it is better off), and a majority also saying their personal financial situation is no better off now than it was this time last year (66% v 26% who say they are better off).
However, positively for the Chancellor, and perhaps reflecting current opinions of the Labour party, British adults remain more likely to trust the Conservatives on the economy than Labour. Around half (45%) say they trust David Cameron and George Osborne more than Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell to run the country’s economy, compared to three in ten (29%) who say the same of the Labour pair.

NUCLEAR POWER

Following the resignations at EDF last week, and amid concerns that an agreement on Chinese investment on Hinckley Point C is yet to have been confirmed, the public are evenly split on the state of nuclear power in the UK (37% say more nuclear power stations should be built v 36% who say no new stations should be built).
- Conservative voters are more likely than Labour voters to say that more nuclear power stations should be built in the UK (51% Con v 30% Lab).

Voting intention

The Conservative lead over Labour has been cut by to 9 points, a decrease of 5 from February.

Con 38% (-3)

Lab 29% (+2)

LD 7% (-2)

UKIP 16% (+1)

Green 4% (+1)

SNP 4% (-1)

Other 1% (NC)

Date Published: 12th March 2016

Categories: Elections | GB | Politics | Public and communities | Voting Intention

Client: Independent on Sunday / Sunday Mirror

Methodology

Methodology Note: ComRes interviewed 2,059 GB adults online between the 9th and 10th March 2016. Data were weighted to be demographically representative of all GB adults. Data were also weighted by past vote recall. Voting intention figures are calculated using the ComRes Voter Turnout Model. ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.