In a face-to-face vote, 63% of party members chose the prime minister compared to 22% for Liz Truss, according to Opinium. When asked about Mr Johnson versus Rishi Sunak, 68% went for prime minister, while 19% chose his former chancellor. In the general public, however, the results were reversed, albeit by much smaller margins. Just under a third (31%) would choose Ms Truss over Johnson, who attracted 26% support. With Mr Sunak he was much closer, with 32% supporting him, compared to 31% for Mr Johnson. In terms of who is likely to win the leadership race, Ms Truss, the foreign secretary, has a 22-point lead over Mr Sunak, according to the survey. The survey found 61% support for Ms Truss, compared to 39% for Mr Sunak. Almost three in ten members (29%) said they had already voted, while a further 47% said they would definitely vote. Only 19% have not yet decided who they will support, according to Opinium. Image: Rishi Sunak is more popular among the younger members of the party It means that for Mr. Sunak to be successful, he will have to win the votes of all those who remain undecided, as well as a significant percentage of those who have yet to vote. Ms Truss is drawing mostly support from older members of the party, the survey found. He has a 40-point lead among over-65s, while among under-50s, he is eight points behind Mr Sunak. The main reasons members gave for supporting Ms Truss were that she was seen as more honest and trustworthy (14%) and that she remained loyal to Mr Johnson (10%). A further 8% were impressed with her plans for tax cuts and think she is a better bet for the economy. Image: Liz Truss was seen by members as trustworthy Those supporting Mr Sunak chose the same reason – his perceived financial prowess. This accounted for 22% of the vote for the former chancellor, while 10% believe he is the most capable and intelligent. The next leader of the Conservative Party and Johnson’s successor as Prime Minister will be announced on September 5.
