Cases of buyer’s remorse are likely to spike tomorrow as Chancellor Rishi Sunak unveils his first budget.
According to new polling three quarters of the overall public think spending should prioritise the NHS, while 42 per cent of first time Tory voters in the North of England would like to see measures to increase wages and take-home pay.
Voters in new seats are also twice as likely as other Conservative voters to think that levels of government spending is too low – echoing the sentiment of shadow chancellor John McDonnell this week, who warned it is “nowhere near scale required”.
Landmark budget
But there’s unlikely to be a big shake-up in store come the big reveal tomorrow.
As James Dowling, head of public affairs and public policy at Lansons pointed out, the “landmark budget” is more likely to be focussed on recent events rather than the “radical” shake-up many voters are hopeful for.
The “political tightrope” that stretches the divide between traditional and new voters will be navigated carefully by Sunak.
As Dowling notes, “if he can sell the more challenging policies to his party, it offers an opportunity for the Conservatives going forward to repay those who trusted them with their vote in 2019.
“There again if he fails, trouble may lie ahead in the next four years if the Government can’t connect with their new voters. This may mean hard choices for the party of low taxation.”