Nigel Farage’s ratings also take a hit following the riots
After just five weeks in the job, Keir Starmer’s favourability ratings have now returned to the level he experienced prior to the general election. Following a week of rioting and unrest, a situation the public tend to think Starmer has handled badly, 53% of Britons say they have an unfavourable view of the new prime minister (up four points), compared to 37% with a favourable view (down three), giving a net favourability score of -16.
Immediately prior to the election Starmer’s net favourability rating had stood at -18, before rapidly rising to -3 after his party’s landslide victory, with 44% of Britons having a positive view of the new PM and 47% a negative one. Starmer's high watermark came two weeks in, when his net rating reached neutral territory (±0) with 44% apiece having favourable and unfavourable opinions of the Labour leader.
The latest results represent a second successive decrease in popularity since that point, with a survey last week showing that Starmer had returned to net negativity, at -9.
These results stand in marked contrast to Tony Blair’s approval ratings as prime minister, which remained consistently above his pre-election figure for two years after his landslide win in 1997, according to Ipsos figures from the time.
While the vast majority of 2024 Labour voters still have a favourable opinion of Starmer (76%), this is the lowest score to date, having fallen from a high of 87% immediately following the election.
Of course, the fall in Starmer's ratings could prove temporary – there is the possibility that they will recover once the country returns to a more peaceful setting. Regardless, it remains the case that the prime minister is probably the most popular politician in the country even with all the current difficulties. All prior surveys have not shown any other politicians coming close, and this week’s data shows that he is still well ahead of rival party leaders Rishi Sunak (net favourability of -48) and Nigel Farage (net score of -42).
Nigel Farage’s ratings have also fallen since last week, with the Reform UK leader experiencing a seven point decline in his net favourability score. Currently 25% of Britons have a favourable opinion of Farage (down two points), while 67% have an unfavourable view (up five points).
Excluding Reform voters, among whom he holds an overwhelmingly positive net score of +78, Farage now holds a negative rating among every group of the British public. This includes Leave voters for the first time, with Farage now scoring -4 among those who cast their ballot in favour of Brexit, down from +7 last week.
While some have touted him as a potential leader of the Conservatives, 2024 Tory voters in particular seem to have changed their minds on Farage in the last week, with the number holding an unfavourable view rising nine points from 52% to 61%. Our study on the public’s reaction to the recent rioting shows that 47% of people believe Farage holds a great deal or fair amount of responsibility for the rioting, a figure which includes around three in ten Conservative and Leave voters (29-34%).
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