Attempts by the Conservative Government to get their immigration policies firing on all cylinders appear to have backfired spectacularly this week, after a set of opinion polls released this weekend revealed that more voters trust Labour to handle the issue better.
It’s a damning blow for the Tories, who have put all their eggs in the migration basket this month. Their efforts have fallen short, after the Bibby Stockholm barge was evacuated, and a record number of Channel crossings were logged.
Vowing to crackdown on immigration, the government has – somewhat inadvertently – made the problem even worse. The plan to send asylum seekers to a detention centre in Rwanda has been an unmitigated disaster, and the public appear to be losing faith in the ruling party.
As per data released by Opinium on Saturday, just 21% of those surveyed said that the Tories are the best party to handle immigration. They trail Labour by eight points, after 29% gave the opposition their backing on this matter. More than 50% remain undecided, though.
According to the pollsters, immigration has now become a ‘top three priority’ for the British public – and it’s not the only area where Labour hold a lead. They’re also viewed as the best option for managing the economy, housing, crime, and education.
“The Conservative Party’s ‘Small Boats Week’ may have successfully driven immigration further up the public’s list of important issues, overtaking energy and power as a top three issue – although, the fact that it’s summer may also be a factor.”
“However, there is little respite for the government with Labour still leading on the issue by eight points. The opposition are also leading on the economy by six points, along with bigger leads for most other issues in the poll.” | Opinium
