Theresa May's approval rating hits record low, according to new poll

Theresa May’s approval rating has fallen to a record low amid government turmoil over her Chequers Brexit plan, according to a new poll.

Only 30 per cent of UK adults say they are satisfied with the prime minister’s performance – down five points since last month.

Even fewer – 22 per cent – said they were satisfied with the performance of the Tory government as a whole.

The Ipsos MORI survey of 1,023 people between 20 and 24 July also found only a quarter believe she will secure a good Brexit deal in negotiations with EU leaders.

However Ms May still outperformed Jeremy Corbyn and Vince Cable in the poll, whose approval ratings have also fallen to 28 per cent and 24 per cent respectively.

Gideon Skinner, head of political research at Ipsos MORI, said: “Theresa May has faced a lot of criticism since she launched her Chequers deal, and our poll shows this is mirrored among the public, with her ratings continuing their recent decline to another new low.

“But despite all that, our trends show her ratings are not unusual for a prime minister two years in, and are still better than many of her potential alternatives.”

The prime minister spent Friday trying to win support for her Chequers deal after Michel Barnier, the European Commission’s chief negotiator, ruled out a key part of the customs plan.

She met with Czech PM Andrej Babis and Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz while cabinet ministers toured EU cities to try to persuade national governments to take a flexible approach.

Public confidence in obtaining a good Brexit deal has plummeted since last year, according to the Ipsos MORI poll.

Forty-four per cent said they were confident the prime minister would get a good deal in 2017 but this has now slumped to 25 per cent, while the proportion of those saying they were not confident has risen from 51 per cent to 72 per cent.

Nearly half of people believe the Chequers deal will be bad for Britain, with just 29 per cent expecting it to be good.

Although Ms May’s satisfaction rating among Conservatives has also fallen from 68 per cent to 55 per cent, she retains more public confidence than other prominent Tories.

Just over 40 per cent of UK adults have confidence in her ability to make the right decisions for Britain on quitting the EU, compared to 35 per cent for Boris Johnson, 33 per cent for Philip Hammond, 31 per cent for Jeremy Corbyn and 29 per cent for Jacob Rees-Mogg.

The poll on voting intentions shows the Tories and Labour both on 38 per cent, the Liberal Democrats on 10 per cent and Ukip on 6 per cent.