Jeremy Hunt overtakes Boris Johnson as British public’s preferred choice for PM

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt is now seen as a better option for UK prime minister than rival Boris Johnson, leading the former London mayor by 41 percent to 29 percent in the latest poll, having trailed him just two weeks ago.

A survey conducted by Yougov, sees Hunt’s popularity among the British public surging to become their favorite to succeed Theresa May as prime minister. Among Conservative voters, Johnson is ahead by 48 percent to 39 percent.

Perceptions of the two over the last couple of weeks make for contrasting fortunes – 25 percent of the public believe Johnson would make a good prime minister, while 58 percent think the opposite. His net approval rating has dropped from -18 to -33 in a fortnight.

In stark contrast, Hunt, who is widely seen as the underdog in this leadership race, is ostensibly improving his image with the public – 28 percent think he’d make a good PM, while 43 percent believe him to be a poor choice. His net approval rating has increased dramatically from -24 to -14.

Hunt’s rising stock among the general public will no doubt give him renewed confidence, but it could all prove academic, as the 160,000 Tory members will ultimately decide who will become Britain’s next PM.

The latest survey of Conservative members, conducted by the Tory grassroots blog Conservativehome, has Johnson at 66 percent, streets ahead of Hunt at 30 percent. Hunt has a huge task ahead to defeat his Brexiteer rival.

It comes after Johnson came under fire on Friday for allegedly calling the French “turds” over their position on Brexit, a remark that was removed from a BBC documentary on the Foreign Office.

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