Now even drivers are abandoning Tories in another blow to Rishi Sunak – new poll
EXCLUSIVE: Jeremy Hunt is under pressure to take 20p a litre off fuel duty after a new survey revealed drivers are the latest group to abandon the Tories.
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Rishi Sunak has suffered another blow in his government's popularity after a survey of thousands of members of the FairFuelUK campaign group revealed that for the first time ever more of them would vote Labour.
According to the survey of almost 42,000 drivers, 31 percent would vote Labour while a mere 20 percent would support the Conservatives with a surge of support for Reform UK on 12 percent.
It means that after years of the Conservatives introducing green taxes including Boris Johnson's original Ultra Low Emmision Zone charge in London, and new regulations such as Theresa May's clean air legislation, drivers are for the first time turning away from the Conservatives.
The results are underlined by FairFuelUK's founder Howard Cox himself leaving the Tories and joining Richard Tice's Reform UK to become the London Mayoral candidate.
However, he admitted to being shocked by the results which has seen support for the Tories halve in a decade.
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Mr Cox said: "I never thought I'd see the day that Labour would be more electorally popular than the Tories on driving and transport issues.
"FairFuelUK supporters are very discouraged with the Conservatives on crime and economy policies, and now significantly believe they don’t deserve the driver’s support at the ballot box either."
The result comes despite the Conservatives freezing fuel duty for successive years since winning power in 2010.
Now Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is under pressure to reduce it by a further 20p.
Mr Cox said: "I’m not even sure a 20p cut in fuel duty would turn them around. But if I was Jeremy Hunt I’d give that fiscal plan a real go."
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He went on: “No ifs no buts Mr Hunt, it’s time to lead the world on fairer fuel taxation and delivering honest filling up costs.
"That means cutting fuel duty and fully implementing PumpWatch. FairFuelUK supporters and millions of drivers are frustrated with a Conservative Government that has presided over a plethora of costly anti-motoring policies that have hurt the economy, penalised low-income families and needlessly added to the costs of running a small business.
"Time to recognise drivers are part of the solution to lowering inflation, not a bottomless source of tax revenue."
Mr Cox added: "Reform UK is the new kid on the block, with FairFuelUK’s long-time Tory supporters migrating to Richard Tice’s common sense going for growth plans. That’s why I, along with thousands in a political wilderness, now back him 100 percent.”
Mr Tice added: "The message is getting through, if you worry about the cost of living, if you care about small businesses, if you want your family and the country to succeed, the Conservatives no longer represent you, Reform does."
Labour tops the poll despite its "war on motorists" including Sadiq Khan's expansion of ULEZ to cover all of London and Mark Drakeford introducing a ULEZ for motorways in Wales as well as the hated 20mph speed limits.
Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak has been trying to win voters back by watering down so-called climate change measures.
He delayed a ban on new petrol and diesel cars to 2035, delayed scrapping gas boilers and hacs cancelled a number of other proposals.
The Tories also won the Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election after promising to cancel the ULEZ expansion in London.
But the survey has come on a series of terrible poll results for the Tories which got worse after Mr Sunak's rehuffle last week when he brought back former Prime Minister David Cameron as Foreign Secretary and sacked Suella Braverman as Home Secretary.
Under current projections the Tories are facing a wipeout which would even see the Prime Minister lose his own seat.
