West Berkshire prefers Rishi, Newbury MP's survey shows

West Berkshire residents believe Rishi Sunak is the more suitable candidate to be Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister, a survey suggests.

Newbury MP Laura Farris, who has already declared her support for Mr Sunak, has been running the online survey since Tuesday, July 12, and has received 878 responses so far.

She says the former Chancellor of the Exchequer also leads the current poll among West Berkshire Conservative Party members against his rival Liz Truss.

Ms Farris said: “Constituents have contacted me with a range of views on the Conservative leadership race, and I’ve always taken the view that it’s likely to be tight.

“But my poll of just under 1,000 residents suggests support is strongest for Rishi, who I think has the right skills for PM and priorities for the nation – starting with tackling inflation, stimulating growth and then reducing income tax.”

Among all those who have responded to the survey, 58 per cent prefer Mr Sunak over Ms Truss.

Respondents claiming to be local Conservative Party members also slightly favour him over Ms Truss, with 52 per cent voting in support of Mr Sunak.

Before the Conservative Party leadership race was reduced to the final two, the International Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt had the edge over the other candidates and was leading the poll with 31 per cent of votes.

Mr Sunak came second with 30 per cent and Ms Truss third with 15 per cent.

To vote in Ms Farris' survey, visit https://www.laurafarris.org.uk/next-prime-minister

The leadership race will continue through to the beginning of September, with voting starting imminently.

The new leader is to be announced on Monday, September 5, and is expected to become Prime Minister soon afterwards.