Rishi Sunak would beat Liz Truss if U.K. PM poll held now, survey finds

A YouGov poll of Tory members found 55% would now vote for Rishi Sunak if they were able to vote again, while just 25% would vote for Lizz Truss

Former Indian-origin chancellor Rishi Sunak would beat his rival Liz Truss if the Conservative Party leadership election is held now as a result of what is dubbed as "buyer's remorse" among the voting Tory members, according to a new poll on Tuesday.

A YouGov poll of Tory members found 55% would now vote for 42-year-old Mr. Sunak if they were able to vote again, while just 25% would vote for Ms. Truss.

"With the ongoing political chaos at Westminster dominating headlines, a new YouGov Political Research snap poll of Conservative party members finds significant buyer’s remorse among the party membership surrounding their September decision to elect Liz Truss leader," says a YouGov analysis.

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YouGov also finds that a majority (55%) of members think Ms. Truss should resign as party leader and Prime Minister after a series of U-turns and only 38 per cent believe she should remain.

The most popular choice to take over the top job at 10 Downing Street remains the partygate scandal-hit former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is favoured by 63% as a good replacement, with 32% putting him as their top candidate, followed by Mr. Sunak at 23%.

"Were Liz Truss to buckle to such pressure and resign, Tory members would most want to see Boris Johnson brought back to replace her,” YouGov noted in an analysis of the data.