The Conservative party brand image hits new low

• 15% say the Conservatives are fit to govern – matching the lowest since first asked in 2011
• Two in five think their financial situation is worse than six months ago

What do the public think of the parties?

The Conservative party’s ratings across several metrics are the worst since they came to power in 2010. As shown below, Labour outperforms them on nearly every measure of brand image asked about.

Notable low scores achieved by the Conservatives include:

• 20% say the Conservatives understand the problems facing Britain, which is the lowest since first asked in 2011.  
• 15% say the Conservatives are fit to govern, which matches the 16% the party scored under Liz Truss, the lowest since first asked in 2011.
• 12% say the Conservatives have a good team of leaders. This is comparable to 11% when Liz Truss was Prime Minister.
• 12% say the Conservatives look after the interests of people like them, which is the lowest since first asked in 2011.
• 11% say the Conservatives are concerned about people in need, which is the lowest since first asked in 2015.
• 9% say the Conservatives keep their promises, which again matches the previous low of 10% in September 2022.

However, while the public image of the Labour party is mostly better than the Conservatives, Keir Starmer’s party has also seen falls since last September, and on many measures shows little sign of improving on its scores over the last decade.  In particular:

• 39% say Labour understands Britain’s problems, down 7 points since last September and equal to its previous low in September 2021.
• 29% think Labour is different to other parties, down 9 points since September and the lowest since first asked in 2013.
• 39% say Labour is concerned about people in need, down 8 points since September and the lowest since first asked in 2015. 
• 17% say Labour keeps its promises, down 4 points since September and matching the previous low of 18% in 2021.

What issues are determining how the public will vote?

The top issue which will be very important in determining how the public vote is healthcare, mentioned by one in three (35%, +5ppts since February). This is followed by around one in five mentioning the economy (23%, +1), asylum and immigration (20%, no change) and inflation (19%, -3).

This is amid pessimism about personal finances. Two in five say their personal financial situation has got worse over the past six months (43%). A similar proportion say it has stayed about the same (42%) and only 13% say it has got better.

The public do not expect things to get much better either; the majority predict the economy will get worse over the next twelve months (52%, no change since February). One in five say it will improve (21%), while a similar proportion say it will stay the same (21%).

Gideon Skinner, head of political research at Ipsos, said:

In many ways, perceptions of the Labour party’s image under Keir Starmer are not that different to under Ed Miliband – even down on some measures. The main difference now is that perceptions of the Conservative party today are very much worse, so when it comes to making comparisons, Labour are well ahead, including, of course, in voting intentions. If the Conservatives can rebuild their reputation, especially on competence and on the key issues to the public of the NHS, economy, cost of living and immigration, Labour could find their position not as strong as it looks. But time is running out for Rishi Sunak’s party to change minds after nearly a decade and a half in office. Even so, the only lukewarm public enthusiasm for Labour and its leader could cause Keir Starmer difficulties further down the line.

Technical note

Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,072 adults aged 18+ across Great Britain. Interviews were conducted by telephone between the 3rd of April – 15th April 2024. Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.