In April, 35 per cent of the panel thought Boris Johnson should resign as Conservative leader, 58 per cent didn’t and seven per cent didn’t know.
Last month, in the wake of Sue Gray’s report, those figures were 41 per cent, 53 per cent and six per cent.
Today, in answer to a different question to the same end – we asked the panel directly if Tory MPs should vote to remove Johnson – 55 per cent say yes, 41 per cent no and three per cent don’t know.
This is the first time that the panel has concluded that he should go, though the Prime Minister was at the foot of our Cabinet League Table last month, and in negative ratings.
To say that the position has worsened for him again since May 29, the date of our last survey, is a statement of the obvious, and I won’t attempt an exhaustive analysis of why this might be so.
Other than to point out that the long period of Jubilee celebration hasn’t done him any good with the panel.
For better or worse, party members don’t have a vote later today, and MPs must ultimately make what they believe is the right decision for the country (or so we hope).
But at over a thousand replies in a day this is a very substantial survey return – our highest this year.
And, for the record, the panel hasn’t changed much since it gave Johnson a 93 point approval rating in the wake of the 2019 general election.
Not enough names will have been added to make a dramatic difference to the return.
That’s even if all new arrivals voted the same way, which they won’t have done. The successful new applications for the panel since the last survey will be added in time for the next monthly one at the end of June.
If you wish to join the panel, please send proof of party membership to news@conservativehome.com.