Keir Starmer’s approval ratings have sunk to an all-time low, a bombshell new poll has revealed. The news from the City AM/Freshwater Strategy poll will add to mounting pressure on the UK’s Labour government. In the poll, surveyed Brits highlighted the growing dissatisfaction among voters with the UK government’s uninspiring performance after a year in power.
Starmer’s net approval has plummeted to a record-breaking low of minus 41, while Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch’s approval has slipped by two points to minus 17. The monthly poll, which began in January, also showed Nigel Farage’s approval ratings descending into negative figures at minus six.
This decline in approval ratings exposes the enormous pressure Labour is facing in the lead-up to this year’s autumn Budget, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves poised to raise taxes by at least £20bn to restore her fiscal buffer, as reported by City AM.
More than half of voters (57%) expressed a preference for the government to introduce tax and spending cuts, while nearly a third (32%) favoured tax increases to fund public services. Half of Labour voters (51%) indicated they would prefer tax cuts over increased spending.
However, desires didn’t match expectations, as three quarters of voters anticipated tax hikes, with around four in five (78%) expressing concern about the potential harm taxes could cause to the UK economy, reports The Daily Star.
Speculation is rife about potential tax increases later this year, with the strongest support for raising levies on alcohol and applying national insurance to rental income. The most unpopular suggestions in the survey were implementing capital gains tax on main residence sales and reducing the tax-free pension lump sum.
Monday’s return of Parliament saw a flurry of new appointments by Starmer, aimed at bolstering No10’s approach to Britain’s economy. Darren Jones has been named chief secretary to the prime minister, a role he previously held as chief secretary to the Treasury.
Starmer has also enlisted former Bank of England deputy governor Minouche Shafik as his economics adviser, and Dan York-Smith, a Treasury civil servant, as his principal private secretary.
The Tory opposition has suggested that these personnel changes could spell trouble for Rachel Reeves, with shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith arguing that Starmer should have “gone the whole hog and fired her”. Labour will be hoping to regain the support that once delivered the largest parliamentary majority in 25 years.
However, opposition parties are now gearing up to win over voters ahead of future elections, with Reform UK’s party conference set for this weekend. Ousted Labour politicians Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana are reportedly putting the finishing touches to the branding for a new party, aiming to challenge the government from the left.
A poll conducted by City AM/Freshwater Strategy has revealed that voters hold a negative view of Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana, with their respective net approval ratings standing at minus 27 and minus seven.
This marks the first time voters were questioned about the pair in City AM/Freshwater Strategy’s poll, although a majority of respondents confessed they had either never heard of Sultana or did not have an opinion on her.
