For the first time, Britons split on whether Keir Starmer or Nigel Farage would make a better Prime Minister

New data from Ipsos in the UK’s Political Pulse survey reveals that for the first time, Britons are split on whether Keir Starmer or Nigel Farage would make a better Prime Minister. In addition, Andy Burnham is slightly preferred over Keir Starmer, though a significant portion of respondents are neutral.

Head to heads

• For the first time, Britons are split on whether Keir Starmer or Nigel Farage would make a better Prime Minister (30% Starmer, 30% Farage, 30% no difference/neither).
• However, Keir Starmer continues to lead Kemi Badenoch with a +12 margin (27% Starmer, 15% Badenoch, 43% no difference/neither).
• Andy Burnham is slightly preferred over Keir Starmer, though a significant portion of respondents see no difference (20% Starmer, 25% Burnham, 38% no difference/neither).
• Public preference is almost evenly split between Andy Burnham and Nigel Farage, with Burnham slightly trailing Farage (30% Farage, 27% Burnham, 28% no difference/neither).

Favourability towards political parties

• 22% are favourable towards the Labour party, with 51% unfavourable (net -29).
• Reform UK has a net rating of -8, up from -11 last month. A third (33%) hold a favourable view of the party, with 41% unfavourable.
• Two in ten (20%) express a favourable view of the Conservative party, with 50% unfavourable (net -30, unchanged from last month).
• The Green Party’s net rating is -3 (same as last month). 27% are favourable towards the party, while three in ten (30%) are unfavourable.
• The Liberal Democrats sit at -7. 24% express a favourable view and 31% unfavourable.

Favourability towards politicians 

• Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has a net favourability of -12 (up from -16 last month) with a third of Britons (33%) viewing him favourably and 45% unfavourably.
• 29% are favourable towards Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and 20% unfavourable. The only politician in our list with a net positive favourable rating.
• Prime Minister Keir Starmer's net favourability stands at – 33 (21% favourable, 54% unfavourable).
• Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch has a net favourability of -25 (18% favourable, 43% unfavourable).
• 23% hold a favourable view of Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey, while 27% are unfavourable, giving him a net score of -4 (up slightly from -7 last month).
• 15% are favourable towards Chancellor Rachel Reeves, while 52% are unfavourable, giving her a net rating of -37 (unchanged from last month).
• 23% are favourable towards former Leader of the Opposition and founder of a new left-wing party Jeremy Corbyn, while half (50%) are unfavourable (net -27, up from -31 last month).
• Co-founder of the new left-wing party Zarah Sultana has a net rating of -21 (up from -26 last month), with 15% favourable and 36% unfavourable.

Favourability among Labour voters

• Among 2024 Labour voters, Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has 49% approval, while 12% disapprove (net +37).
• Starmer follows behind in second place with 44% of Labour voters expressing favourable view of the Prime Minister, and 31% unfavourable (net +13).
• Rachel Reeves is the only politician to have a net negative rating among Labour voters (-6), with 30% favourable and 36% unfavourable.

Keiran Pedley, Director of UK Politics at Ipsos said:

Until now Keir Starmer has led Nigel Farage in terms of who the public would prefer as Prime Minister, so Farage drawing level feels a significant moment. With Andy Burham seeing higher favourability ratings than Starmer too this is a moment of significant political pressure on the Prime Minister. Though he still has a large majority in parliament and time on his side.

Technical note:

• Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 2,272 adults aged 16+ across Great Britain. Interviews were conducted online between the 5th-9th September 2025.
• Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.