Boris Johnson is leading the ‘sleaziest’ government in more than 40 years of British politics and is considered more than twice as ‘sleazy’ as Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, according to a Daily Mail poll.
In the week that the Owen Paterson scandal led to accusations of a return to Tory corruption, voters believe MPs should be ordered to give up lucrative second jobs outside Parliament – with claims of wrong-doing investigated by a High Court judge, not politicians themselves, the survey found.
Even though Sir Keir has been widely criticised for his poor handling of an effort to abolish the parliamentary standard system, the prime minister is still in front of him in personal ratings.
The poll was carried out during an extraordinary week in Westminster, which ended with former Cabinet minister Mr Paterson resigning as an MP – and senior Tories seriously questioning the judgment of Mr Johnson, who had backed him.
According to the Daily Mail poll, MPs believe they should be forced to quit lucrative jobs that are not related to Parliamentary work after the Owen Paterson scandal.
Mr Paterson had previously been found guilty of breaking Commons rules by lobbying for two firms that paid him £500,000, and was facing a 30-day suspension from the Commons as punishment.
In an attempt to let Mr Paterson off the hook, the Government backed and won a vote on plans to tear up Parliament’s anti-sleaze rules on Wednesday.
The Government had to make a humiliating U turn the following morning due to anger from Tories who were forced by the amendment.
With Mr Johnson’s support effectively withdrawn, Mr Paterson quit what he described as ‘the cruel world of politics’ on Thursday.
The JL Partners poll for the Mail shows that nearly one in three (31 per cent) believe Mr Johnson’s administration is the worst behaved in terms of corruption, dating back to Margaret Thatcher’s government in 1979.
A total of 22 per cent say Tony Blair’s government was ‘sleazy’, with 9 per cent of voters awarding the same badge of shame to David Cameron’s administration.
In today’s Mail poll, 69 per cent of voters say the Prime Minister was wrong to order Tory MPs to vote in favour of letting Mr Paterson off
By contrast, the governments of former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown and ex-Conservative PM Theresa May are seen as ‘sleazy’ by only 2 per cent of voters.
A total of 53 per cent say Mr Johnson is ‘sleazy’, but only 20 per cent place Sir Keir in the same category.
Similarly, nearly half (46 per cent) say the Conservative Party as a whole is ‘sleazy’, but only 17 per cent would apply the description to Labour.
A separate poll showed the Tories’ five-point lead over Labour a week ago has narrowed to just one point.
In today’s Mail poll, 69 per cent of voters say the Prime Minister was wrong to order Tory MPs to vote in favour of letting Mr Paterson off.
A total of 71 per cent say he should return the £500,000 he earned from his two ‘second jobs’.
Over six out of ten (61%) believe all MPs should have second jobs. 81% say that an independent group led by High Court judges should handle any corruption allegations against them.
If Mr Paterson was correct to say that his behavior contributed to Rose’s suicide last year, 33% of respondents said so. Only 15% agreed with his conclusion.
A stark warning this week by former MI5 chief Lord Evans, chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, that Britain could ‘slip into becoming a corrupt country’ struck a chord with the public.
A total of 53 per cent say Mr Johnson is ‘sleazy’, but only 20 per cent place Sir Keir in the same category
A total of 57% agree, and 18% disagree.
But Sir Keir and Labour appear to have gained little from accusing Mr Johnson of ‘leading his Tory troops through the sewer’ in a doomed bid to save Mr Paterson.
If asked which leader is better, 41% chose Mr Johnson. 27% selected Sir Keir.
Labour remains a more divided party, while the Conservatives are seen as more competent.
James Johnson, of JL Partners, said: ‘People who have heard about the Paterson scandal are outraged by it, and are scathing about the way the Conservatives tried to scrap the system of dealing with complaints against MPs.
‘In the public’s eyes, this was merely to protect one of their own.’ He continued: The public – angry about this attempt to weaken Parliamentary scrutiny – want the system made much tougher.’
The pollster added: ‘So far, however, this episode has not been as damaging as [former senior No 10 aide] Dominic Cummings flouting Covid lockdown rules with his infamous trip to Barnard Castle – which felt much more personally insulting to voters.’
On Wednesday, 1,021 adult respondents participated in an online survey.