Is Howard Ready To Be PM?

After more than 100 days as leader of the Conservative Party, half the British public say they do not think Michael Howard is ready to be Prime Minister. When asked the same question four months ago , 30% of the public agreed that Michael Howard was ready to be Prime Minister and 48% disagreed. MORI's latest findings show that now 31% think Howard is ready (up one point), and 51% think he is not (up three points).

The survey also shows an increase in the number of people who think Michael Howard is untrustworthy (from 35% in November to 40% now). The proportion who think that the Conservative leader is trustworthy has changed little (from 37% to 38%). However, these ratings are better than those for the Prime Minister, Tony Blair with 32% of people describing him as trustworthy (down three points since November) and 60% describing him as untrustworthy (up two points).

Technical Note

MORI interviewed 1,002 British adults 16+ by CATI (Computer-Aided Telephone Interviewing) last weekend, 20-22 February 2004. Data were weighted to reflect the profile of the British adult population.

Topline Results

Ready to be Prime Minister?

Q On balance, do you agree or disagree with the of the following statement?

• Iain Duncan Smith question asked 11-16 September 2003.
• First Michael Howard question asked 31 October - 2 November 2003
• Difference between November and February equates to a swing since November of -1%

Trust in Tony Blair and Michael Howard

Q And in general would you describe each of the following politicians as trustworthy or not?

• Note: For Conservatives asked of William Hague in Oct 00 and of Iain Duncan Smith in June 03. Swing for Blair since November is -2.5%.
• Swing for Howard since November is -2%
• October and June trend questions above are based on adults aged 18+