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Wednesday 25 May 2016 11:26 am

George Osborne rated as a natural leader by just two per cent of the British public, according to survey

By: Mark Sands

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Just two per cent of Britons believe that chancellor George Osborne is a natural leader, and just over one in 10 believe he would be up to succeeding David Cameron as Prime Minister.

The public slammed Osborne in a survey by YouGov for the Times, which revealed the chancellor's ratings contrast poorly with that of former London mayor Boris Johnson.

Fewer than one in 10 surveyed also said they would describe Osborne as strong, honest, good in a crisis, charismatic, or in touch with the concerns of ordinary people.

By contrast, 20 per cent rated the former mayor of London as a natural leader, and one in three said that Johnson would be up to the job of Prime Minister.

Half of those surveyed described Johnson as charismatic, while just over one in three said that he sticks to what he believes in, and between 18 and 20 per cent agreed that the former Mayor was strong, honest and decisive.

Read More: This is how many financial jobs the Treasury says are at risk over Brexit

With just under a month to go before the UK's referendum on European Union membership, the public also showed growing distrust of political figures.

In a group that included the Prime Minister, Johnson, Nigel Farage, Jeremy Corbyn, Theresa May and Michael Gove, former work and pension secretary Iain Duncan Smith was the only figure to see public trust increase on the EU vote since YouGov's last survey in late April.

While just 18 per cent said they trusted statements from David Cameron in the debate, down from 20 per cent in April, Iain Duncan Smith was trusted by 25 per cent of voters, up from 24 per cent.

However, the public's most trusted figure in the EU debate remains Johnson, who was backed by 31 per cent of Britons.

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