Sir Keir Starmer’s plunging popularity has crashed even further at rapid speed to its worst-ever rating, revealing the scale of the crisis engulfing the Prime Minister. The Labour leader briefly had a positive net favourability after his party’s thumping win in last year’s General Election, where it won a mammoth 174-seat majority.
But the polls have been downhill since then, with Sir Keir’s personal ratings steadily collapsing amid a series of scandals and controversial policies, such as the winter fuel payment cut. Despite a brief revival in his popularity following international crises and Donald Trump’s return as US president, the PM’s net favourability has now slumped to -46% – his worst-ever rating. The YouGov survey showed Sir Keir’s approval rating slid by 12 percentage points in a month after Labour lost hundreds of councillors in a dreadful set of local elections.
The party lost badly to Nigel Farage’s insurgent Reform UK, which won two mayoralties and the Runcorn and Helsby by-election – where it overturned Labour’s 14,696 majority.
Perhaps most worrying for the Government in the YouGov poll conducted on May 13-14 was the fall in support for Sir Keir among Labour voters.
YouGov said the “fall in Starmer’s popularity is concentrated among Labour voters, half of whom (50%) now have an unfavourable view of the prime minister, a 17-point increase from mid-April”.
It added: “The proportion with a favourable opinion has correspondingly fallen from 62% to 45% over the last month.
“This is the first time Keir Starmer has recorded a net negative approval rating among Labour voters.”
Sir Keir’s policies have caused uproar among Labour ranks, with senior figures such as former frontbenchers Diane Abbott and Ed Balls criticising cuts to disability benefits.
The Labour leader has also been criticised by figures in his own party for cutting international aid and forcing more farmers to pay inheritance tax.
Little more than one in five (23%) voters now have a positive view of the PM, with YouGov saying his current ratings equal his nadir as opposition leader in July 2021.
Back then, Sir Keir struggled as then-prime minister Boris Johnson rode a wave of popularity after the Covid vaccine rollout and Labour lost a by-election in Hartlepool, one of its previously safest seats.
Mr Farage’s popularity has improved over the past month, with the Reform UK leader scoring his highest-ever net favourability rating in the poll.
However, six in 10 Brits still view him unfavourably, with a net score of -27% – up from -38% in April.
YouGov added that “Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch continues to get less popular as her leadership progresses”, with just one in six (16%) viewing her positively. Her net rating is -39%.
