Boris Johnson's rating plummeted to record lows

 

 The rating of approval of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has fallen to a record low since the beginning of his term as head of government amid the Christmas party scandal during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a study published Friday by The Times and YouGov.

 According to a poll conducted on December 8-9, only 24% of respondents now have a positive opinion of Johnson, while 66% of residents of the kingdom have a negative opinion of him (the rest have not decided their attitude). It is noted that the current rating of approval of the Prime Minister, equal to minus -42, has deteriorated by 11 points compared to the previous survey in mid-November. This is also the lowest figure for Johnson since moving to 10 Downing Street in July 2019.

 Sociologists recalled that the highest approval rating for the current prime minister (+29) was registered in April 2020 at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. At the same time, according to the YouGov report, dissatisfaction with Johnson is currently growing not only among opposition citizens, but also among supporters of the ruling Conservative Party: 41% of voters who traditionally vote for the Tories are critical of the leader of the government.

 At the same time, the leader of the opposition Labor Party, Keir Starmer, is still unable to reap the political benefits of the current situation: his approval rating is -14. Among the high-ranking members of the government, the head of the Ministry of Finance, Rishi Sunak, has the highest indicators of public confidence (38% of respondents have a positive opinion of him).

 Sociologists point out that Johnson's decline in popularity comes amid a Christmas party scandal. Prime Minister's Office officials hosted a party in December last year, when the country was severely restricted by the coronavirus pandemic. According to the Daily Mirror, dozens of government officials took part in 10 Downing Street celebrations in the midst of the second wave of the epidemic, when Londoners who do not live together were banned from meeting indoors.