More than half the British public do not have confidence in Liz Truss to perform at the highest levels as a world leader according to an exclusive poll for The National that found people believe Brexit has gone wrong.
A total of 52 per cent of respondents said they had little or no confidence in Ms Truss on the world stage and the same number agreed that Boris Johnson has damaged the UK's international standing.
Questioned on Brexit, 52 per cent of the public also agreed it was a bad thing that Britain had left the EU and, by a margin of 46 per cent to 19 per cent, that the process had gone badly.
Other findings in the wide-ranging poll:
- A majority (62 per cent) said that relations with the Arab world must be maintained or improved.
- A majority (56 per cent) said the UK had done enough to help Ukraine while 76 per cent backed the imposition of sanctions on Russia.
- A majority (78 per cent) backed global action to address the Europe-wide energy crisis.
- A majority (54 per cent) wanted the UN to lead efforts to resolve the Ukraine war.
- A majority (71 per cent) wanted the government to prioritise energy costs over addressing climate change challenges.
- A majority (54 per cent) agreed that Iran posed a nuclear threat to the UK and the world.
Just 6 per cent of the 2,096 British adults questioned by Deltapoll said they were “very confident” that Ms Truss would be an effective world leader. The research was carried out exclusively for The National from September 9-12, during Ms Truss’s first week in office.
The data captures the start of an era, coming just days after the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the accession of King Charles III, the first change on the UK throne in 70 years.
The outlook is clouded by the first war in a generation in Europe, soaring electricity and gas prices, Britain entering a recession and divisions over Brexit deepening long after the country decided to quit the EU.
Ms Truss is the fourth Conservative prime minister in a decade, a reflection of the turmoil on the political stage. She is promising a radical new departure for the government to pursue lower taxes, deregulation and faster economic growth.
Against this backdrop, 28 per cent of respondents maintained they felt “quite confident” she would do a good job as leader.
Nearly a third (30 per cent) said they were “not very confident” about her in 10 Downing Street, while 22 per cent said they were “not at all confident”.
The Brexit promise of a lift to British prosperity has faded with most respondents (43 per cent compared to 34 per cent) saying the trade deals that have been struck with countries such as Australia have been “generally bad” for the UK.
The country remains outward looking despite the vicissitudes of recent years with 62 per cent looking for the same or better ties with Arab countries.
Anand Menon, professor of European politics and foreign affairs at King’s College London and director of the UK in a Changing Europe think tank, pointed out that it is still early days to say what kind of leader Ms Truss is likely to be.
He suggested that levels of public confidence in her could rise steadily over the coming months if her emergency package of measures achieves its aim of effectively reducing the strain of the cost of living crisis on households and businesses.
Prof Menon said much would also depend on how Labour would seize the crisis as an opportunity to boost itself as a government in waiting, and paint the Truss administration as ineffective. He said it “hinges on Labour banging home the message” that “this is the government for the few”.
Boris Johnson's toxic legacy
The highs of the Johnson administration — the delivery of Brexit and the early introduction of Covid-19 vaccines — were not enough to make up for his failures, the poll suggests. Prof Menon said the “Boris Johnson brand has been irrevocably tarnished” in the minds of many voters.
“It’s a poignant failure,” he said. “With Ukraine, that’s gone down quite well in Washington and also in eastern Europe.”
The ballot also showed that events in UK politics over the last few months have damaged Britain’s position in the international arena with only 7 per cent saying it had improved.
Prof Menon said events in Britain that recently made global headlines, regardless of whether they were positive or negative, have increased foreign interest in the country.
He said the perception abroad that the UK is boring “has been shattered” by recent happenings, which he argued was a good thing. “In 2015 we were proudly dull,” he said, recalling a time before the EU referendum which saw Brexit dominate conversations.
The historical legacy of Britain's involvement in conflicts overseas this century is something that people are keen to draw a line under. Despite the rise of the Taliban and the chaos that saw tens of thousands airlifted from Kabul airport, a total of 40 per cent said it was right to withdraw from the country with 37 per cent saying it was the wrong choice.
Two decades after the country was led to war on the premise that deposing Saddam Hussein in Iraq would transform the region along western parallels, a total of 42 per cent said it was the wrong course.
The effort to eradicate global terror networks and neutralise Al Qaeda, the group behind bombings and attacks in New York, London and Madrid among other targets, cannot be seen as a success from the poll findings. Rating the threat from 1-5 with the top figure representing a significant threat a total of 66 per cent said the group rated 3 or higher.
Liz Truss's premiership begins in tumultuous times — in pictures
-
Britain's Prime Minister Liz Truss during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons in London, addressing Parliament for the first time since abandoning her disastrous tax-slashing economic policies. Here, 'The National' looks at her time in power so far. AFP -
Liz Truss speaks to Grant Shapps at Downing Street as he is appointed Home Secretary, after the resignation of Suella Braverman. Photo: Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street -
A mural by artist Ciaran Gallagher in Belfast is updated to reflect Liz Truss's current political troubles. PA -
Britain's new Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt announcing tax and spending measures at the House of Commons in London, with Liz Truss sitting on the bench behind him. AFP -
Liz Truss gives a speech after sacking Kwasi Kwarteng as chancellor of the exchequer. Reuters -
A protest by climate change group Extinction Rebellion in central London. Ms Truss has said the group is part of an 'anti-growth coalition' with trade unions and the main opposition Labour Party. AFP -
Ms Truss has come under increasing pressure during her short time as prime minister. AFP -
An Extinction Rebellion protest outside Downing Street on the day Mr Kwarteng was removed from the government. AP -
Ms Truss with members of the England women's football team and the European Championship trophy in Teddington, south-west London. Getty -
Ms Truss arrives for a meeting of the European Political Community at Prague Castle in the Czech Republic. AP -
Ms Truss and her husband Hugh O'Leary wave after her keynote speech at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham. AP -
Liz Truss gives a speech at the Conservative Party Conference. EPA -
Ms Truss meets with Mr Kwarteng, chancellor of the exchequer at the time. Photo: Andrew Parsons / CCHQ -
Ms Truss and Mr Kwarteng visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham. AFP -
Ms Truss meets US President Joe Biden for talks at the UN headquarters in New York. PA -
Ms Truss delivers a speech at the 77th session of the General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York. AP -
The British prime minister holds a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in New York. Reuters -
Ms Truss meets French President Emmanuel Macron at the UN headquarters in New York. Reuters -
Ms Truss speaks to the media during her visit to the Empire State building in New York. AP -
Britain's new leader speaks during the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth at Westminster Abbey, London. PA -
Ms Truss and her husband Hugh O'Leary observe a minute's silence at Number 10 Downing Street following the death of the queen. Reuters -
Britain's Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer and Ms Truss leave after a service for the reception of Queen Elizabeth's coffin at Westminster Hall in the Palace of Westminster. AFP -
Ms Truss joins the Speaker Lindsay Hoyle and selected MPs to take the oath and swear allegiance to King Charles III in the House of Commons chamber. PA -
King Charles during his first audience with Ms Truss at Buckingham Palace, London, following the death of Queen Elizabeth. Getty Images -
Ms Truss gives a reading during a service of prayer and reflection, following the passing of Queen Elizabeth, at St Paul's Cathedral in London. Getty Images -
The British prime minister makes a statement outside 10 Downing Street in London following the queen's death. Bloomberg -
Ms Truss speaking during her first weekly Prime Minister's Questions session at the House of Commons in London. AFP -
Front pages of a selection of British national newspapers, each leading with a story about Ms Truss becoming Britain's new prime minister. AFP -
People walk past an image in central London of Ms Truss on the side of a protest bus calling for a citizens' assembly. Reuters -
Ms Truss holds her first Cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street. Reuters -
Ms Truss speaks at Downing Street on the day she took over as prime minister from Boris Johnson. EPA -
Ms Truss poses with her husband Hugh O'Leary at Downing Street before entering as prime minister for the first time. EPA -
Ms Truss is welcomed by staff in Downing Street as she enters the famous prime ministerial offices for the first time. Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street -
New Health Secretary Therese Coffey and Number 10 staff shelter from a downpour as they wait for Ms Truss to arrive in Downing Street. PA -
Liz Truss makes a speech outside 10 Downing Street, London, after meeting Queen Elizabeth II and accepting her invitation to become prime minister and form a new government. PA -
Queen Elizabeth II greets the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party, Ms Truss, at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. The queen invited Ms Truss to become prime minister and form a new government. Getty Images
