As many Britons think Keir Starmer doing a good job as Prime Minister now as Boris Johnson during vaccine rollout

• 36% of Britons say Keir Starmer is doing a good job as Prime Minister – almost twice as many as said the same about Rishi Sunak in May.
• Highest number to think Prime Minister is doing a good job since Boris Johnson in early 2021 (37%) – during the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.

New Ipsos polling, taking 12-15 July 2024, examines attitudes towards Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the Labour Party following their first week in government. 

Keir Starmer’s personal performance

• More than one in three think Keir Starmer is doing a good job as Prime Minister (36%). This is the highest approval rating since Boris Johnson in February 2021 (37%) amidst the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine. 14% think Starmer is doing a bad job – much fewer than the 41% that said the same of Johnson at the time.

• Starmer’s ratings today compare favourably to Rishi Sunak in May – where 20% thought he was doing a good job as Prime Minister and 57% said he was doing a bad job.

Is Labour doing a good or bad job? 

• A third (34%) of Britons believe that the Labour government is doing well at running the country. This is slightly higher than numbers recorded by Boris Johnson’s government at its peak – though much fewer think Starmer’s government is doing a bad job.
• The same proportion think that the Labour government has performed better than expected – including 59% of those who voted Labour on July 4th. 
• Enthusiasm for Labour’s performance is highest among those aged 18-34, with 45% saying the Labour government has performed better than expected. This is compared with 29% of those aged 35-54, and 31% of those aged 55-75. 

Elsewhere in the poll:

• When asked about what makes a good government minister, Britons say that having experience working in public services (48%), having experience working in business (42%), and having previous experience as a government minister (41%) are the most important factors.
• In contrast, 29% think being much wealthier than the average Britain is a sign you would do a bad job, 24% say the same about someone having parents who were upper class, and 19% say the same about someone educated at a private school.

Ipsos Director of Politics Keiran Pedley said of the findings:

Looking at Keir Starmer’s poll ratings there are increasing signs of the new Prime Minister enjoying something of a honeymoon period during his first few days in office. As many Britons think Starmer is doing a good job as Prime Minister now as said the same of Boris Johnson during the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine – with fewer saying he is doing a bad job. Of course, time will tell how long such ratings last, with Starmer and his government’s ability to deliver against public priorities likely to dictate their respective political fortunes in the longer term.

Technical Note
Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,092 adults aged 18-75 across Great Britain. Polling was conducted online between 12-15 July 2024. Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.