A shock poll shows that Brits approve of their government for the first time in almost a decade.
Following the 2019 general election the Conservative government had the approval of one in three Britons (34%), compared to 46% who disapproved.
But the latest data shows, that as a result of the coronavirus crisis, the government now has net positive approval ratings for the first time in almost a decade.
Some 52% of Britons approve of the government’s record, compared to just half that number (26%) who disapprove.
The last time the British government came close to this level of popularity was during the Coalition government’s honeymoon period.
The pollster said much of the change has come from Labour voters, with over a fifth (22%) now saying they approve of the government’s performance, despite not voting for it just four months ago.
The polling experts say that it is common for the government to get a boost at times of crisis.
But this is often short-lived and the experts say there are already signs that a backlash is brewing against the UK government's coronavirus testing record.
This was true during the 2008 financial crisis when Gordon Brown was at the helm and he saw a bounce in his popularity.
But that bounce was short-lived.
It had evaporated within a year, as the praise he got for his tough decisions turned to criticism of overspending.
After he ducked the October election he went on to lose at the polls in May with the Tories quick to embed the narrative that Labour had caused the financial crash by overspending.
There are two theories as to what causes this phenomenon, sometimes called the “rally round the flag effect”.
Firstly, in times of crisis the public believe that national unity is important, and the government and its leaders are the embodiment of that.
Secondly, opposition parties and the media feel the need to stand by the government in hard times so the public tend to hear less criticism.
However, these rallies don’t always last in the long run.
The pollsters warn that the public's faith is under threat as tougher questions being asked about why the government is not doing more to increase coronavirus testing capacity.
YouGov's latest polling shows that two thirds of the public (67%) think the government has handled this badly, compared to just a quarter (25%) who think they have handled it well.
