An Opinium poll sees the Labour leader struggling to make headway against a PM whose handling of the pandemic has gained approval. That has included reneging on his commitment to take back into public ownership key utilities, including gas and electricity. . Sat 11 Jun 2022 14.57 EDT. But theres no sense of what the wider project is.. Boris Johnson makes a better prime minister than Keir Starmer would despite Partygate, the cost of living crisis and the confidence vote in Johnson held by his MPs, according to the latest Observer poll.. However, it is not all bad news for Starmer. Enough is Enough unequivocally denounces a heartless establishment that, it implies, includes Starmer himself. If Blairites are now on the rise once again in the Labour Party, what about the man himself? Hes a lawyer hes learning his brief.. Leadership approval ratings Rishi . Although his approval rating in the Blue Wall fell two points in February to now stand at +6%, his rating in both the Red Wall (+14%) and GB (+13%) are up by six and four points respectively. For similar reasons, the Enough is Enough movement has recently emerged, demanding pay rises for workers and higher taxes for the rich. Correlations identify things people with a positive opinion of Keir Starmer are more likely to rate positively than the . politics . Andrew Fisher, Corbyns former director of policy, said Starmers preference for private donations may backfire. UK opposition leader Keir Starmer will pledge that a Labour government would boost public purchases of local food as he seeks to appeal to country's embattled farmers. Keir Starmer has been urged to intervene in the selection process for a Labour target "red wall" seat, after a leading candidate who had the support of eight trade unions was blocked from . Dominic Raab's popularity falls to -57 amid bullying inquiry . He has banned Labours front bench from joining picket lines, an edict that has been defied by several of them and looked all the more risible as even barristers have begun taking industrial action. The Labour leader has made a dirty word of socialism and shown that his own word counts for nothing. 2023 The Windsor Framework "gives enough" to end the Stormont stalemate, Sir Keir Starmer believes. Having dealt with the party machinery at the last conference, the plan was always that the next one will focus on setting out our plans for Britain. One Labour MP described Alli as absolutely lovely and very persuasive. Referring to his status as one of the worlds only openly gay Muslim politicians, they added: You should never underestimate someone from his background who has fought that hard for LGBT rights.. This week, though, has provided a reminder of two important things that deserve to be noted by political observers. That view is backed by Labours left-wing Momentum faction, which is preparing a showdown with Starmer at the party conference. Copyright 2014 - 2023. Much as I detest Starmer and the current Labour Party he will likely win back the ugly racist Brexit gammons who voted Tory or Farage last election, he won't loose safe seats like mine, and he won't care if a few of the more comfortable and liberal Tory seats flip Lib Dem. The big winner in all this, however, is disillusionment. Alli, reportedly worth upward of 100 million, is plugged into to Londons arts, media and business sets. The head of the opposition has resolutely avoided offering any kind of vision for Britain, fearful it might be construed as vaguely socialist, and has even been averse to robustly challenging the ruling Tory party. The Partygate investigator Sue Gray is a likely candidate to be Keir Starmer's chief of staff, as the Labour leader searches for a veteran civil . Jeremy Corbyn approval rating . Sunaks handling of the NI protocol suggests a leader and a Tory party with more left in the tank than some think. Starmer has transplanted many of Blairs favorite donor point-people into his close circle to build a powerhouse fundraising team. Sunak has had luck along the way. People in Britain, generally, are much more cynical about big money influencing politics, he warned. Rishi Sunak branded Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer 'Mr 2nd Referendum' as he told the 1922 Committee of backbench Tories that the public are sick of Brexit 'drama'. Sir Keir took over his party's leadership from Jeremy Corbyn in April last year, and by September the party was ahead of the Conservatives in some polls for the first time since Mr Johnson became prime minister. Latest news, analysis and comment on French politics and beyond. A government of which he was part had created the whole problem in the first place, of course, and one should never tire of saying so. War in Ukraine overturned the political landscape. On the eve of his big speech, Keir Starmer showed his frustration at being constantly compared with two of his predecessors - Jeremy Corbyn and Tony Blair - and declined to say to which of them he was closer. . Indeed, Labours biggest backer, the union Unite, has reduced its contributions to the party in retaliation for Starmers efforts to shift away from the socialist policies of Corbyn. Left-wing Labour MP Diane Abbott said Starmer seems to be reverting to the worst practices of New Labour., What business will want, because theyre giving us all this money, is theyll want results, she said. Rishi Sunak is shaping up to be a prime minister Keir Starmer should be wary of. The next election is expected in 2024, but it could be sooner if Liz Truss's huge tax giveaway backfiresmore than it already has. Keir Starmer is finally ahead in the polls but at what cost? In GB as a whole, the Governments net approval rating for its handling of these three issues now sits at -35% (down four points from late January), -49% (-7), and -39% (-3) respectively. Latest news, analysis and comment on defense in Europe and beyond. It was an attempt to turn Starmers weaknesses into strengths. He is not. As people increasingly see through Johnsons bluster and feel the impact of his lack of decisions, weve created space to show that Keir is the serious politician needed for post-pandemic Britain., To keep up to speed with all the latest opinions and comment sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter by clicking here. Sir Keir had started to close the gap in April, pollsters Opimium said, but in a survey held on 13 and 14 May, he garnered just 23% support as preferred prime minister. Angela Rayner, the Labour deputy leader, also suggested that Starmer looks too much like a lawyer in public appearances and should put some more welly into his speeches. Only 29% of voters think Sir Keir looks like a prime minister in waiting, including 48% of people who voted Labour in 2019's general election. His party trails Labour by more than 20 points in the polls. Keir Starmers wait-it-out approach may finally be beginning to pay dividends, two and a half years after he was elected Labour leader. Starmer is determined to beat the Tories at their own game, vowing to fight the election on economic growth. Not least, he has shredded the pledges he made during his campaign for the Labour leadership, policy commitments he sold Labour members as evidence he would serve as the continuity candidate for his left-wing predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn. "Any opposition would be struggling against a government riding the success of the vaccine rollout and the last time the government's approval figures for the pandemic were this positive the Conservatives held a 17 point lead. The appetite for a more radical approach to the Tory government has been highlighted by the rapid rise of Mick Lynch, leader of the striking Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers union (RMT). It is a dramatic capitulation for a party in opposition that grew out of the activities of the trade union movement. While 50% of voters in Britain still see the Government Sunak leads as incompetent, the Governments net competency rating is only marginally lower now than it was in late January (down one point to -34%). Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. The Opinium figures, which will raise further concerns within Labour over the party leader's performance, shows that the prime minister has a two-point lead over his opponent. Boris Johnson's opinion poll lead over Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer as the "best prime minister" for the UK evaporated on Monday, as Downing Street tried to stop the fuel crisis descending . After languishing stubbornly behind the government in surveys since his election to head Labour in early 2020, Starmer is now reported to have a seven-point lead over the Tories new leader, Liz Truss, when the public is asked who would do a better job as prime minister. Latest news, analysis and comment on elections in Europe and beyond. Too soon for that. This is especially true for Labour voters, more than half of whom blame Truss (44%) or Sunak (10%) for the current crisis while only 11% blame global events. burden of repaying the 150bn ($170bn) costs, Starmer has hollowed out left-wing politics in the UK, Palestinian and socialist groups further sidelined as Labour email comes to light, UK: Oxford students report racial profiling at event hosting Israeli ambassador. Starmers hope was that the public would eventually tire of the glaring cronyism and corruption of a ruling party that has been 12 years in power. It was a key insight to recognise that the DUP had overreached itself at the expense of the UKs wider economic and political interests, and was therefore in a weaker position than many assumed. Asked if they wanted their home to remain British, Falkland Islanders said Yes by 99.8 per cent . Nicola Sturgeons departure has disarmed the Scottish separatist threat for a while, though the union remains fragile in the longer term. Opinion comes closest regarding having a lot of . Focaldata found that Starmer is regarded as more trustworthy than Johnson, better equipped to make tough decisions and more competent. The politics of selling it was always going to be a much tougher task. Although they remain neck-and-neck on 38% each in the traditionally Conservative-voting Blue Wall, Starmer has opened up a lead of 7% in the Red Wall constituencies (three points lower than the 10-point margin he held at the end of January) and a 9% lead across the whole of Great Britain (three points more than at the end of January). Starmer holds an approval rating of -6, unchanged from two weeks ago. Nicola Sturgeons departure has disarmed the Scottish separatist threat for a while.. Support for the Labour Party has grown in the aftermath of the Autumn Statement, a new poll reveals today. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye. While Starmer is seen as more austere, he has embraced the former PMs party financing strategy. Now all the polls are reporting not just that Labour is in the lead but that people would rather have Starmer as prime minister than the incumbent. In a nationally representative poll taken August 26th to 29th, Keir Starmer leads Liz Truss by 10 points or more on: And also by 11 points for each of paying attention to detail (41% to 30%), being a capable leader (38% to 27%) and they are going to make the country a better place (35% to 24%). Lucy Powell described partygate investigator Sue Gray - who plans to join Labour as Sir Keir Starmer's chief of staff - as "impartial" and "really good at her job". And in refusing to countenance any dissent from within Labour, or entertain any meaningful pluralism in its ranks - starkly illustrated by his approaches both to support for Nato and the monarchy - he has echoed not only the rights agenda but its authoritarian instinctstoo. It is something Blair spoke about a lot, not having the first idea what he was doing when he got through the door. As popular anger mounts, Starmers lack of vision for a sustainable future risks plunging parliamentary politics into even deeper crisis. The following polls asked about voters' opinions on Sin Berry and Jonathan Bartley, co-leaders of the Green Party from 4 September 2018 to 31 July 2021. Labour holds a 10-point lead over the Conservatives as Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak attack each other in public but Sir Keir Starmers personal ratings have gone backwards. His job approval rating is bumping along at -26. SIR Keir Starmer has seen his ranking plunge in the polls after a terrible fortnight of bungles. Of course, the Conservative Party will take evasive action, up to and including changing leader, before the next election, but we can now see that Labours doom and gloom about Starmers anti-charisma and Johnsons Teflon qualities were overdone. 7 times Hancock hogged UK headlines, Chief of Staff - Maternity Cover (Brussels), Metsola wants Ukraine EU membership talks to start this year, Aggro-culture: Farmers protest brings Brussels EU Quarter to a standstill, Rishi Sunak says Whitehall must be impartial amid row over Grays Labour job. Nobody wants to see industrial action that is disruptive.. But dont underestimate this prime minister, either. Rishi Sunak is shaping up to be a prime minister Keir Starmer should be wary of,Sunak's handling of the NI protocol suggests a leader - and a Tory party - with more left in the tank than some think, says Guardian columnist Martin Kettle These include the new constituency boundaries on which the next election will be fought, the reduction in the number of seats from Wales and Scotland, and the fact that the Tories need a smaller lead than Labour in the overall national vote to be the largest party at Westminster or to have an overall majority. Major new Labour donor David Sainsbury gave more than 2 million at the end of last year, the latest figures confirm, after fleeing during the Corbyn years. He was given a peerage by Blair in 1998 and acted as an unofficial adviser to the former PM through his 10-year reign. These signs of change should be watched seriously, because the Tory party has history as an election winner. A source in the leaders office told me that, with Keir, the Labour Party has the strongest message discipline weve had in years. Sunak also gets to choose the election date. Cubus Follow. Its 100-a-month business group the Rose Network has more than 500 members, up from 300 less than three years ago. Overall, 57% of all voters support this, rising to 78% of Rishi Sunaks own voters. All rights reserved. Starmers approach is inflicting further damage on a political system already seen by a majority of voters as a rigged game in which their interests are always ignored. For Sunak personally, his approval rating, despite some fluctuations, ends February more or less where it was at the end of January. Labour also still hold a lead of 10 points over the Conservatives in terms of overall voting intentions, broadly in line with our figures for June and likely to see the Labour party win a majority if an election were tomorrow.. It was, mathematically, the result of the government and prime minister enjoying a vaccine boost in popularity, but it prompted bitter Corbynites to remind Blairites how they had predicted that under any other leader Labour would be 20 points ahead. Yoda Age: 22. By logging in, you confirm acceptance of ourPOLITICO Privacy Policy. Some of the more detailed polling questions, which have given Johnson the benefit of the doubt all year, have also turned. March 2, 2023 10:16 am CET. One month ago he was on -3 in the equivalent BMG poll and in June the number of people who were satisfied was the same as those dissatisfied. And she heads a Conservative Party barely able to conceal its disarray after such a long spell in government, just as Britain is about to lunge from an energy and cost-of-living crisis into full-blown recession. Filter. On policy delivery, the Government continues to struggle massively on the three key issues of the economy, the NHS, and immigration. Back in June, his spokesperson said: Weve been clear in the position that the strikes shouldnt go ahead. Labour extended its lead nationally to 27%, the widest margin it has held since Sunak became PM in October, while also opening up a lead of 28% in the Red Wall (another record lead with Sunak as Prime Minister). It also enjoys some electoral advantages over Labour. Keir Starmer was rewarded for his strategic patience, according to an ally, when just as the year ended, he took a clear lead over Boris Johnson as the leader people would prefer to have as prime minister. And further underscoring how divorced she is from the public mood, Truss intends to reverse a planned rise in what is a historically low rate of corporation tax. Approval for the government's handling of the pandemic is at its highest since mid-April last year, with 47% of adults happy and 33% disapproving. Support for the Labour Party has grown in the aftermath of the Autumn Statement, a new poll reveals today.Aaron Chown. Latest news, analysis and comment from POLITICOs editors and guest writers on the continent. It also reveals that Starmers party holds a narrow two-point lead, compared with a three-point lead in the last poll a fortnight ago. And, in a further nod to the business-friendly New Labour days of the 1990s and 2000s, hes even tapping Tony Blairs moneymen to fund his bid for power. 'Free speech is the only thing the new woke religion - will not - a Sherlock actor labelled transphobic for saying parents taking child UK drivers due 'huge pump price cut' in just days as warning issued King Charles refused to forgive Prince Harry's 'ultimate act of disrespect'. Starmers reluctance to criticise big business or show solidarity with workers has shifted political ground in the UK even further to the right. The more he engages with people from the City, the more he feels comfortable with the vocabulary and the issues, a department head at an investment bank said. The 1997 quip by Mandelson that he was intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich as long as they pay their taxes became something of guiding principle for the last Labour governments fundraising efforts. The date range for opinion polls is from the 2019 United Kingdom general election, held on 12 December, to the present day. The Labour leaders raft of broken promises on key issues likely to be close to the hearts of voters as their living standards collapse risks casting him as unreliable and untrustworthy. Some 55% of people polled said they were dissatisfied with the Prime Minister, compared to 49% in December. If Starmers mid-year trough was the mathematical product of Johnsons vaccine-induced rise, his end-year breakthrough could be dismissed as the mere reflection of the prime ministers unpopularity but it feels more soundly based than that. but more one-sided than a North Korean election held at gunpoint. Politics. The following polls asked about voters' opinions on Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats since August 2020. The job of being Leader of the Opposition is, famously, the most thankless available in British politics. Progressive politics is out in the cold. This represents a five-point jump for Labour when compared to polling carried out by the channel last week, and no movement at all for the Conservatives, who remain on 21% of the vote. The prominent involvement of Labour MP Zarah Sultana, a Corbyn supporter, suggests the depth of frustration in growing sections of the party at the direction Starmer has taken. He has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Holborn and St Pancras since 2015. Approval in the Blue Wall is no better, with the Governments approval on immigration down by one point to -44%, although it has improved its rating on the economy (-33%, +5), and the NHS (-49%, +2) since January. The Socialist Campaign Group of MPs did not have the numbers to trigger a leadership election, let alone a candidate; Rayner had been one of theirs but she had compromised with the ideological enemy in the party. The DUP is divided about how to respond, and enjoys the feeling of having Sunaks future in its hands. These polls asked the opinions of British voters, not specifically Scottish voters. Only a minority of 2019 Conservative Party voters, 43%, back a Sunak-led Conservative government to manage the economy. Starmer may scrape a win at the next general election, against an internally divided Conservative governing party only too obviously divorced from the concerns of much of the electorate. Starmer Thanks Key Workers For Saving Countless Lives In Christmas Message Original Video M205751, Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in, Please refresh your browser to be logged in, Rishi Sunak to meet King Charles as Truss defends her record - live, Johnson was begging people for votes in a demeaning way, says IDS, Welcome, PM Sunak the last best option to take over from Truss, Keir Starmer is a political chameleon and it might just help him win | John Rentoul, Now we know why Nicola Sturgeon resigned | John Rentoul, Farewell Sturgeon and Corbyn: its been a good week for reasonableness | John Rentoul, Starmer held his nerve, overtaking Johnson at year-end, Extra 20% off selected fashion and sportswear at Very, Up to 20% off & extra perks with Booking.com Genius Membership, $6 off a $50+ order with this AliExpress discount code, 10% off selected orders over 100 - eBay discount code, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK March 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this March, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. 27 per cent of people are satisfied with how he is performing in his job while 34 per cent are dissatisfied, for a net approval rating of -6 (accounting for rounding). Labour holds large leads over the Conservatives in each of our three tracker polls as the party most trusted on the economy, the NHS, and immigration. , Bloomberg. Keir Starmer was rewarded for his "strategic patience", according to an ally, when . For many, he is also indelibly linked to other New Labour cash scandals, including a rowover a watered-down advertising banfor Formula 1 just after F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone gave millions to the party. Combined with his purges of the Labour left, including Corbyn, using antisemitism as the pretext, Starmer has hollowed out left-wing politics in the UK of any substance. 29 days ago . Collapse. Commenting, Prof. Matt Goodwin added: Amid a mass exodus from the Labour market, and millions of people now taking out-of-work benefits in various forms, this polling clearly points to public support for helping people who are on benefits back into the workplace. He has lots of experience. standard.co.uk - Miriam Burrell 5h. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. In my dealings with Gray when I was political secretary, I found her . Estimated Reading Time: 3-5 minutes. 2. The following polls asked about voters' opinions on Rishi Sunak, leader of the Conservative Party since 24 October 2022 and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since 25 October 2022. The DUP was not allowed to hijack the launch and mobilise the European Research Group. More than six in ten (61%) of Rishi Sunaks voters support the measure, as do 57% of Labour voters, suggesting this policy will land well in the country as a whole. Collapse. How the PM could block sleaze watchdog's advice on Gray hire and if Labour will ignore him, Opinion | Boris Johnsons 'jobs for Tory cronies' legacy is still alive and kicking, Tory MPs furious at Starmer hiring Sue Gray as Rees-Mogg calls her report 'left-wing stitch-up', publics view of the the Labour leader himself appears to be becoming more negative, Keir Starmer will have been hoping for a polling bounce following his big announcement on freezing energy bills, 'How bad are the pics? It is, admittedly, early days for such speculation. The polling companies listed are members of the British Polling Council (BPC) and abide by its disclosure rules. But Starmers success - assuming it can be maintained - has come at an extraordinarily high political price. Labour leader Keir Starmer's promises to team up with business may unsettle some on the left of his party | Hollie Adams/Getty Images. Sir Keir Starmer - Labour Party Leader. The poll also found voters backing Keir Starmer over Rishi Sunak. For years, we shocked people with Corbyn as leader in the worst way possible and we now need to shock them in positive ways, the shadow Cabinet minister quoted earlier said. Theres no complacency but we remain confident of the strategy we have to get Keir to No 10., Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Not only is Labour considered a strong favorite to win the next election, but the moderate Labour right faction is now in firm control of the party an unthinkable position just a few years ago when the Corbynite left looked unassailable. Public opinion. ', asks Mark Dolan. Ipsos publishes the latest results of UK opinion polls and voting intention. But it is circumstance - not a political programme - that has conspired to help Starmer. A backlash is coming. Johnson was comprehensively outmanoeuvred. Starmer turned in some more relaxed performances at Prime Ministers Questions, starting to look more confident and suggesting that he had finally got the measure of Johnson. And, in a further nod to the business-friendly "New Labour" days of the 1990s and 2000s, he's even tapping Tony Blair's moneymen to fund his bid for power. In recent months, trade unions have threatened to make further cuts to their funding, too. . It would be foolish to ignore them. A backlash is coming, Labour leader Keir Starmer addresses the annual Labour Party conference in Brighton, England, on 9 September 2021 (AFP), How top Labour officials plotted to bring down Jeremy Corbyn, Forde Inquiry exposes Labour's biggest problem: Keir Starmer, Jonathan Cook is the author of three books on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and a winner of the Martha Gellhorn Special Prize for Journalism. X. Jacob Rees-Mogg has joined in with the chorus of Tories trying to undermine Sue Gray 's report, after her new appointment as Keir Starmer's chief of staff - but his own words have now come . Some Blairites believe Labours most electorally successful leader must be officially welcomed back into the tent to show the public how serious the party is about winning. Page of 216. Keir Starmer is the 1st most popular Labour politician and the 2nd most popular politician & political figure. Energy prices have begun to ease. He urged those in the session to make sure that as we go into that election and hopefully the other side of that election, we are saying the right thing in the right way about what we can achieve.. These could include a comparison of leading politicians within the same party (to gauge support for future leadership contests), or compare the current leader of one party to an alternative leader of a second.