Keir Starmer falls to his lowest net favourability rating so far
Keir Starmer favourability, September 2025
It’s not been an easy return from the summer break for Keir Starmer, with the last fortnight seeing him having to accept the resignation of his deputy Angela Rayner, undertake an unplanned government reshuffle and sack Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US.
Now, just 21% of Britons say they have a favourable opinion of the prime minister, down three points on last month and the lowest such figure recorded by YouGov since he became Labour leader.
Seven in ten Britons (71%) now hold an unfavourable opinion of Starmer, up three points from August and the highest to date. This leaves the prime minister with a net favourability rating of -50, Starmer’s lowest score so far.
Nigel Farage favourability, September 2025
Nigel Farage’s favourability ratings have remained largely static this month, with three in ten Britons (30%) holding a positive opinion of the Reform UK leader, while roughly twice as many (61%) see him unfavourably. This leaves Farage with a net rating of -31.
Kemi Badenoch favourability, September 2025
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch’s ratings have also seen limited month-on-month change. One in five Britons (19%) have a favourable view of the opposition leader, while a clear majority (54%) see her unfavourably, leaving her with a net favourability score of -35.
Ed Davey favourability, September 2025
Attitudes towards Lib Dem leader Ed Davey remain in the same ballpark they’ve been in for most of the year. Just over a quarter of Britons (27%) have a favourable opinion of him, representing a reversal of the three points he gained last month, while a third (33%) see Davey in an unfavourable light. This gives the Lib Dem leader a net favourability score of -6.
Jeremy Corbyn favourability, September 2025
Since his return to frontline politics earlier this year, opinion towards Jeremy Corbyn has grown a little more favourable. Just under three in ten Britons (28%) now have a positive opinion of Corbyn, up four points since June, before the launch of his new party to be co-led with Zarah Sultana was announced.
Six in ten Britons (59%) have an unfavourable opinion of the former Labour leader, down three points since June, giving Corbyn a net favourability rating of -31, identical to Reform UK leader Nigel Farage’s score.
One in eight Britons (13%) have a favourable opinion of Zarah Sultana, Jeremy Corbyn’s co-leader-to-be, while 26% see her unfavourably.
Zack Polanski favourability, September 2025
One of the key arguments of new Green leader Zack Polanski’s election campaign was that the Greens needed more visible leaders, something he does appear to have somewhat succeeded at. While 70% of Britons may currently say they do not have an opinion of Polanski, this is lower than said so of his predecessors Carla Denyer (77%) and Adrian Ramsay (82%) in August.
However, this greater awareness of the Green leadership has not all been positive. One in five Britons (20%) have an unfavourable opinion of Polanski, up eight points from August, double the 10% who see him favourably, up four. This gives Polanski a net favourability rating of -10.
Other senior political figures’ favourability, September 2025
Former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner’s favourability has taken a hit in the last month, with 59% of Britons now holding an unfavourable opinion of her, up six points from August. This is against 19% of Britons seeing the former deputy Labour leader in a favourable light, giving Rayner a net favourability score of -40, her lowest recorded by YouGov to date.
While the controversy over her underpaying stamp duty is likely responsible for some of this fall, it comes amid a backdrop of all-time low net favourability scores for several senior Labour figures beyond Rayner and Starmer, including chancellor Rachel Reeves (-49) and new deputy prime minister and justice secretary David Lammy (-31).
Indeed, such is the state of unpopularity of senior Labour figures that none of them even hold clearly positive net favourability ratings among those who voted for the party just last year.
Labour voters are divided 45% to 50% over whether they have a favourable or unfavourable opinion of Keir Starmer, while also being roughly evenly split on Angela Rayner (±0 net rating), new home secretary Shabana Mahmood (±0) and new foreign secretary Yvette Cooper (+4).
David Lammy and Rachel Reeves fare worse, holding negative net ratings of -9 and -17 among Labour voters respectively.
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Photo: Getty
