He has failed to deliver on key promises, hit the polls low, and even narrowed down the style of a popular Adidas shoe: Britain’s beleaguered Conservative leader Rishi Singh is destined for general election defeat. is visible

Two tax cuts and a slightly improving economy have failed to boost Cink’s political fortunes, while criticism of former prime minister Boris Johnson and speculation over the intentions of Brexit figurehead Nigel Farage are adding to his woes.

Political scientist Rob Ford believes Sink appears “helpless” in the face of seemingly unstoppable political momentum away from his ruling Tories.

“When the herd moves, it moves. You don’t have much,” he told AFP.

The 43-year-old Sink has not yet announced the election date. He is expected to call it up for October or November but is legally allowed to wait until January.

Polls widely show Britons want an end to 14 years of Tory rule, and nothing Cink has done since becoming prime minister 18 months ago appears to be changing their minds.

A YouGov poll released this month found the Conservatives would win just 155 seats in the UK parliament, down from the 365 they won under Johnson at the last election in December 2019.

Keir Starmer’s opposition Labor Party will win 403 seats, with the same poll showing a 154-seat majority.

“Right now it’s very difficult to see how the Conservatives stay in government after the next election simply because they need a change,” said Karen Pedley, political director at polling firm Ipsos.

– ‘moving the dial’ –

Sink replaced Liz Truss in October 2022 when Tory MPs forced her out after a disastrous 49 days in office, during which her mini-budget spooked financial markets, plunged the pound and Sent the mortgage payment to heaven.

He followed Johnson, who himself was defended by colleagues after several scandals including illegal parties in Downing Street during the Covid-19 lockdown.

While the tumult of two previous administrations has hurt Sink, political analysts say he has also contributed to his plight by backtracking on promises and failing to connect with voters.

Despite his promise, he did not stop immigrants from France on small boats. National Health Service waiting lists are longer than when he took office. Economic growth has stagnated, although inflation has more than halved.

Sink has also tried several leadership and policy resets that have fallen flat, including watering down carbon-net-zero pledges into a pitch for motorcycles and, more recently, talking about extremism.

The tilt to the right comes as the Reform UK party threatens to lose key seats to the Conservatives, especially if Farage stands up for them as he has teased.

“(Sink) is trying to find that magic wand or silver bullet to turn things around but none of that is moving the dial at the moment,” Pedley told AFP.

An Ipsos poll published in March found that 58 percent of voters view the Conservatives unfavorably, the highest percentage of this parliament. Only 19 percent view them favorably.

The survey gave Sink a net approval rating of minus 38, the lowest of any politician.

– ‘rather strange’ –

Critics often accuse the wealthy former financier of being out of touch with average Britons.

“He’s a combination of being awkward and stupid, and then always getting irritated if he’s challenged,” said Ford, a professor of political science at the University of Manchester.

Sink is trying to revive his party’s fortunes, touring the country to meet voters as rumors swirl that a disastrous showing in local elections on May 2 could spark a leadership challenge. can give

He can’t seem to catch a break.

This week, Johnson described Sink’s proposed comprehensive smoking ban as “nuts”, while a spokesman for Sink had to deny that the PM was preparing to launch an AI fund in the event of an election defeat.

Sink even offered a “full apology to the samba community” after photos of him wearing the Adidas trainers sparked headlines such as: “Now eight trainers to wear as Rishi slays samba “

“There’s a kind of doom loop in which politicians can end up where they’re unpopular,” Ford explained.

“The media knows they are unpopular so everything they do is reported negatively, which reinforces their unpopularity.”

Political observers say polling tends to tighten as polling day approaches and there are doubts the Liberal Conservatives may ultimately stick with the party to reduce the size of Labour’s victory and make it difficult for the party to win. To ensure that the Tories are an effective opposition.

“Everything is really becoming about the extent of the damage at this point,” Ford said.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)