Shock poll reveals the major task ahead for defiant PM

THE huge scale of the task facing Rishi Sunak as he tries to win back angry Tory voters is laid bare in a shock poll today.

- Jonathan Walker

A third say that they are less likely to back the Conservatives at the next general election with him at the helm.

It adds to the fears of MPs who admit they face an uphill battle to convince the nation to forgive them for months of chaos.

But last night others predicted Mr Sunak is in it for the long haul the They said his immediate task is to steady the ship with the make-or-break Autumn Statement to be delivered by Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, on November 17.

In the survey by Redfield & Wilton Strategies for the Sunday Express, 34 per cent of voters say the elevation of Mr Sunak to party leader makes them "less likely to vote for the Conservative Party in a general election than before".

Just 18 per cent say they are now more likely to back the Tories.

Alarmingly, 64 per cent of voters say there should now be a general election. In a finding that will be seized on by Labour, even 50 per cent of those who voted Conservative in the 2019 general election believe Mr Sunak should go to the polls.

But a Downing Street source said: "He's only been in Number 10 for days and his focus has very much been on getting under the bonnet of the Autumn Statement and making sure that he and the Chancellor can make these incredibly difficult decisions they have ahead of them." And Tory MP Michael Fabricant said: "The findings of this poll are understandable. The electorate are angry and rightly so.