Half of Britons disappointed by Labour so far as pessimism over missions grows

A new Ipsos poll reveals continued public disappointment with the Labour government's performance as we approach five months after their election victory. The survey, conducted online among 1,092 British adults aged 18-75 between November 22nd and 25th, 2024, paints a picture of growing concern about the government's ability to deliver on its key promises.

The end of the honeymoon period continues for Labour

• Just over half (53%) of Britons say that they are disappointed with what Labour have done in government so far, little changed from 50% in September. One in 5 (19%) say they are pleased.
• This includes almost three in ten (28%) of those who voted for the party in the last General Election, although 2024 Labour voters are the only group who are more pleased (38%) than disappointed by what Labour have done in government so far.
• 81% of Conservative 2024 voters and 90% of Reform UK voters are unhappy with the government’s performance.
• Disappointment is also high among those aged 55-75, with three quarters (74%) saying that they are unhappy (+11ppts since September). 
• Those aged 18-34 are split on Labour’s performance, with 31% pleased and 35% disappointed.

Labour's missions 

Elsewhere in the poll, Labour’s performance on the five key missions that the party campaigned on was assessed, with the public asked to say how the government is delivering now, and how well they expect the party to do ahead of the next General Election. There is little public confidence that the Labour Government will deliver, either now or by the next election, while negative views have increased since September.

• The NHS remains the top priority for Britons, with two thirds (66%) saying that building an NHS fit for the future is the most important of Labour’s missions. This is followed by kickstarting economic growth (38%) and taking back the streets by reducing crime (33%).
• For each mission, only around 1 in 5 think the Labour government is doing a good job now (from 16% on taking back the streets to 22% for building an NHS fit for the future), and only slightly more think it will do a good job by the next election (from 23% for taking back the streets to 30% for the NHS). 
• More think the Labour government is or will do a bad job, a feeling which has grown since September. When thinking about current performance, between 38% (for breaking down barriers to opportunity) and 45% (for kickstarting economic growth and taking back the streets) say the government is doing a bad job.  Since September negative ratings have increased by between five to nine percentage points. Looking ahead to the next election, still between 38% (breaking down barriers) and 44% (taking back the streets) think the government will do a bad job, with negative ratings increasing by 5-6 ppts.

Approval ratings for Keir Starmer

• 26% of the public think Keir Starmer is doing a good job as Prime Minister, similar to the 25% who said this in September, but down from 36% in his immediate post-election honeymoon period. 45% think he is doing a bad job, also little changed from September but worse than July.

Gideon Skinner, Senior Director of UK Politics at Ipsos said:

Our latest poll reveals a concerning trend for the Labour Party. While the public still prioritises the NHS, Labour’s declining performance ratings across their five key missions, coupled with Keir Starmer's low personal approval numbers, suggest a growing disconnect between public expectations and the government's perceived ability to deliver. With the Prime Minister set to announce new milestones for change later this week as part of his plans to implement mission-led government, this research highlights just how important it is for Labour to demonstrate 'real, tangible improvement to the lives of working people' to regain public trust.

Technical note

• Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,092 adults aged 18-75 across Great Britain. Interviews were conducted by telephone between the 22nd-25th November 2024. 
• Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.