Theresa May’s popularity rating turns negative, but Tory lead remains intact

When the Conservatives were rebranded “Theresa May’s team” and the party’s name purged from its literature, there were two explanations. One, that the UK system of Cabinet government doesn’t suit the Prime Minister, so wants an election where she’d campaign by diktat in order to govern by diktat. She’d go fetch a three-figure majority, then her Cabinet meetings would be a bit like the Spitting Image sketch about vegetables (above).

The other explanation was more plausible, and benign: that her personal approval ratings were the highest recorded for any Prime Minister so it made sense for the Tories to campaign on the leader.

A poll for ComRes this evening shows that her approval rating is now in negative territory (ie, her detractors now outnumber her fans). This isn’t unusual for a political leader, who spend almost all of their time looking at negative ratings. But the downwards journey (below) chimes with the shambolic campaign that we have seen, and one where her strongest card – her popularity – has steadily declined.

That said, Jeremy Corbyn isn’t wildly popular either and ComRes has the Tories on a 12-point lead.