Jeremy Hunt would lose the final round of a Tory leadership contest against all of his main potential rivals, a new Conservative opinion poll suggests.
The former health minister left the door open to another bid for the top job as he said he would “have to see what the circumstances are and then decide” whether to run.
But a survey by ConservativeHome showed Mr Hunt could face an uphill battle to secure victory, even if he comes down to the bottom two candidates when Tory members decide the winner.
The poll asked grassroots members who they would vote for in various potential final two combinations – but Mr Hunt finished as runner-up against every hypothetical challenger.
For example, in a contest with Liz Truss, Mr Hunt received 24 per cent of the vote, while the foreign secretary was supported by 59 per cent of those polled.
It was a similar story against Rishi Sunak – 55 per cent to 20 per cent – and against Penny Mordaunt – 63 per cent to 18 per cent. Against Ben Wallace, Mr Hunt received just 14 per cent of the vote compared to the Defense Secretary’s 72 per cent.
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