Dissatisfaction with Starmer reaches 61%, his highest as Labour leader

• 61% of Britons say they’re dissatisfied with Keir Starmer, his worst performance as Labour leader
• Overall dissatisfaction with the Government remains high at 70%
• Economic optimism continues to deteriorate, with 2 in 3 (65%) expecting the economy to get worse over the next year – the worst score since the end of 2022
   

The latest Ipsos Political Monitor, taken 27th November-4th December 2024 asks the public their views on the government and Prime Minister Keir Starmer.  

Dissatisfaction with both the government and Keir Starmer remains high, with high levels of pessimism around the economy 

• Prime Minister Keir Starmer continues to face low approval ratings five months into his premiership.  Only 27% of Britons are satisfied with Starmer's performance, while 61% express dissatisfaction, resulting in a net satisfaction score of -34. 
• He fares better amongst 2024 Labour voters, with 54% satisfied and 39% dissatisfied
  Public dissatisfaction extends to the government as a whole, with a net satisfaction rating of -49.  Even among Labour voters, Starmer's net satisfaction stands at a modest +15, while the government's rating sits at a negative -1. 
• Starmer's ratings compare unfavourably to previous Prime Ministers at similar points in their first terms.  His -34 net satisfaction score brings him into the same league as Gordon Brown (-23), Rishi Sunak (-22), Boris Johnson (-20), and Margaret Thatcher (-3) as Prime Ministers whose net satisfaction scores have gone into the negatives after just five months. 
• Similarly, the government's -49 rating puts it on a par with Boris Johnson’s Government 5 months in (-49), but ahead of Rishi Sunak’s Government (-61). 
• Economic optimism also remains bleak. The Economic Optimism Index stands at -49, with 65% of Britons expecting the economic situation to worsen in the next 12 months.  
   
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However, Labour’s loss hasn’t yet materialised into Badenoch’s gains

• In our first rating for her after around a month as Conservative leader, nearly half don’t know enough to give her a rating (47%), but of those who do 19% are satisfied and 34% dissatisfied.
• However, among 2024 Conservative voters, Badenoch’s satisfaction jumps to 43%. But even with this group 44% don’t know. 14% are dissatisfied.

Keiran Pedley, Director of UK Politics at Ipsos, said:

These findings reflect the difficult start Labour has had in office. Keir Starmer’s personal satisfaction ratings after 5 months are the weakest of all Prime Ministers measured by Ipsos going back to the late 1970s and nearly two-thirds expect the economy to worsen in the next year. However, with a large majority in parliament and the next election potentially as late as 2029, Labour still has time to turn things around.

Notes to Editors:

• For media enquiries, please contact MacKenzie Horn at [email protected]. 
• Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,028 adults aged 18+ across Great Britain Interviews were conducted by telephone between 27 November - 4 December 2024.
• Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.