Jeremy Hunt is the most disliked frontline British politician of any party, new poll shows

The Health Secretary is even less popular than his predecessor Andrew Lansley

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt (JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty)

Jeremy Hunt is the most disliked frontline British politician by some margin, a new poll shows.

YouGov found that Mr Hunt was substantially more unpopular than George Osborne, Jeremy Corbyn, and David Cameron.

The survey found Mr Hunt has a net -48 approval rating – six points behind Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who has also been panned by public opinion.

Just 17 per cent think Mr Hunt is doing well while 65 per cent believe he is doing a bad job as Health Secretary.

The poll comes as the Health Secretary went to ground on Friday evening to avoid junior doctors at a public drinks event.

A drinks and canapés fundraiser for Fareham Conservatives was moved to a secret location and doctors who had bought tickets were told it had been cancelled.

The party said the event was moved because of the risk of disruptions, though doctors who planned to attend said they wanted to ask Mr Hunt questions.

The previous day the Health Secretary was filmed walking briskly away from a junior doctor who shouted questions at him.

Though he has shunned unmanaged contact with junior doctors, Mr Hunt has however given media interviews on the subject – blaming the British Medical Association for the dispute.

The Health Secretary’s popularity with the public has also failed to keep pace with his predecessor in the job – Andrew Lansley.

Mr Lansley, who served as Secretary of State for Health until 2012, steered the Government’s controversial NHS reforms through Parliament.

He was the target of much public criticism during the period – including being the subject of a viral rap video accusing him of privatising the health service.

But the nadir of Mr Lansley’s popularity in July 2011 was -34 points – 14 points behind Mr Hunt.

Mr Hunt’s handling of the NHS junior doctors contract has been the cause of much controversy.

The Health Secretary announced last week that he would impose the contract on junior doctors without agreement.

The Government says the new contract will improve patient care at the weekends but junior doctors say it will incentivise unsafe staffing rosters and put patient care at risk.