Thread by @james_bowley

Labour is promising the “most radical and ambitious plan to transform our country in decades.”

Does the public trust Jeremy Corbyn to be the man to deliver that transformation?

If not, could it be counterproductive to have such a complex, costly manifesto?

THREAD 1/16

Opinium asks questions about leadership in each poll, from 'how are the leaders doing?', to 'who would make the best PM?' to questions about what sort of person the party leaders are.

How are the main contenders doing on some of the key leadership questions right now?

2/16

All the details are from the most recent Opinium political polling, questions asked 13th-15th November.

opinium.co.uk/political-poll…

3/16

To what extent do you approve or disapprove of

… The way Jeremy Corbyn is handling his job as Leader of the Labour Party?

Approve: 23%
Disapprove: 55%

The way Boris Johnson is handling his job as Prime Minister?

Approve: 39%
Disappove: 39%

4/16

Which, if any, of the following people do you think would be the best prime minister? (2-way choice)

Boris Johnson: 35%
Jeremy Corbyn: 20%
None of these: 32%
Don't know: 13%

5/16

Which, if any, of the following people do you think would be the best prime minister? (4-way choice)

Boris Johnson: 30%
Jeremy Corbyn: 18%
Jo Swinson: 11%
Nigel Farage: 6%
None of these: 20%
Don't know: 15%

6/16

Looking at the list of the leadership characteristics, six categories point to the area of 'delivery'.

Do voters believe that the leaders - regardless of whether people like the policies, or want them to be implemented - have the necessary skills to get the things done?

7/16

To what extent do you agree or disagree that each leader is...decisive?

Boris Johnson:
Agree: 44%
Disagree: 22%

Jeremy Corbyn:
Agree: 22%
Disagree: 55%

8/16

To what extent do you agree or disagree that each leader is...a strong leader?

Boris Johnson:
Agree: 44%
Disagree: 32%

Jeremy Corbyn:
Agree: 23%
Disagree: 55%

9/16

To what extent do you agree or disagree that each leader is...able to get things done?

Boris Johnson:
Agree: 41%
Disagree: 34%

Jeremy Corbyn:
Agree: 23%
Disagree: 52%

10/16

To what extent do you agree or disagree that each leader...can be trusted to take big decisions?

Boris Johnson:
Agree: 37%
Disagree: 39%

Jeremy Corbyn:
Agree: 24%
Disagree: 53%

11/16

To what extent do you agree or disagree that each leader...is best to negotiate with the European Union?

Boris Johnson:
Agree: 40%
Disagree: 38%

Jeremy Corbyn:
Agree: 23%
Disagree: 55%

12/16

To what extent do you agree or disagree that each leader is...competent?

Boris Johnson:
Agree: 37%
Disagree: 37%

Jeremy Corbyn:
Agree: 24%
Disagree: 51%

13/16

What we see across the board on these questions is a clear pattern.

While both leaders struggle to find a majority of voters who trust them on these leadership questions, fewer voters believe that Johnson lacks the skills required to get things done.

14/16

For Corbyn, around a quarter of voters believe that he possesses the necessarily abilities to 'get things done', while around twice as many express the opinion that he does not (while another quarter remain unsure).

15/16

The question is, would it have been wiser to adopt a less radical, untested, transformative, expensive manifesto, when the voting public expresses such clear doubts about the ability of the leader to deliver the pledges it contains?

We'll find out soon enough.

16/16