Boris Johnson’s approval rating drops 20 points to -1% after defending Cummings

Boris Johnson’s personal approval rating has dropped by 20 points in four days to -1% following his defence of the senior Downing Street political aide Dominic Cummings.

Polling from Savanta ComRes has shown that public opinion of the Prime Minister plummeted from +19% over the weekend, during which he claimed his adviser had “acted legally and with integrity” despite breaking lockdown rules.

Meanwhile between May 24th and 25th, Keir Starmer saw his ratings rise from 7% to 12% according to Savanta Comres. Another poll by Opinium similarly placed Starmer ahead, with net approval of +5% for the Labour leader and -1% for Johnson.

Approval for the government has also fallen below zero – now at -2% – amid the outrage sparked by Cummings. This represents a drop of 16 percentage points, from +14%, in a single day.

Cummings caused controversy when it was revealed that he had driven approximately 260 miles from London to Durham with his family during the lockdown last month – after displaying Covid-19 symptoms.

Boris Johnson defended the actions of his senior aide during his press conference on May 24th. He claimed that Cummings had “followed the instincts of every father and every parent” and that he did not “mark him down for that”.

Other government ministers who have defended Cummings over the weekend also saw their ratings drop, including Health Secretary Matt Hancock (-11) and Chancellor Rishi Sunak (-15).

This latest update on the personal approval ratings for the Prime Minister reveals a dramatic shift in attitude towards Johnson over the course of the coronavirus pandemic.

On March 25th, approval for the Prime Minister was at +44%. One month ago, on April 25th, he still had a net approval rating of +26% – and just four days ago this remained high at +19%.

Labour has called for an urgent investigation into the actions of Cummings and Shadow Home Secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds has demanded clarity on the implications that Johnson’s defence of the lockdown trip could have for policing.