Rishi Sunak leaps up Tory popularity league tables – but still lags behind with voters

RISHI Sunak has leapt up the Tory league tables after a string of tough on crime and migration announcements – but is still lagging behind with voters.

In a pre-local elections boost, the PM soared up in popularity in his own party from 7 per cent to 43 per cent in the Conservative Home poll.

He was sixth from the bottom in the last polling, and has risen to sixth to the top in the ratings of all Cabinet ministers.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman has jumped from near the bottom to fourth from the top – with a 47 per cent approval rating.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace tops the ratings yet again – with a net satisfaction score of 85 per cent.

It comes after the PM sealed the Windsor Framework Northern Ireland Brexit deal, dashed to America to announce Britain’s nuclear submarine deal with the US, and revealed ministers’ plans to stop small boats crossing the Channel.

But voters have less confidence in his tough migration policies than a few weeks ago as he drops in confidence among the public, according to YouGov.

Their polling showed confidence in him being able to deliver dropped from 26 per cent of the public on March 8, down to 21 per cent last week.

Nearly two thirds thought he was unlikely to be able to “stop the boats” as he’s promised.

And among those who voted Conservative at the last election, 32 per cent thought the prime minister was likely to be able to achieve his goal and 60 per cent thought it was unlikely.

Half said ending the use of pricey hotel accommodation was not going to happen.

And just a quarter thought that housing them on barges and disused ships would happen.

Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer are still soaring ahead, according to YouGov, on 46 per cent of the vote, compared to the Tories 26 per cent.

But insiders are confident the PM can slowly claw back some support ahead of next year’s expected election – with Tory polling up three percentage points since the last time, and Labour down three.