Half of Britons say that Keir Starmer has changed Britain for the worse

New data from Ipsos in the UK’s Political Pulse survey reveals that, just over a year after he entered Number 10, half of Britons say that Keir Starmer has changed Britain for the worse.

Government performance 

• Half (49%) of the British public say that Keir Starmer has changed Britain for the worse. This is compared with seven in ten (70%) who say that Liz Truss changed Britain for the worse in October 2022, and 47% who said the same about Boris Johnson in October 2021.
• 64% say the country is heading in the wrong direction, while 17% say right direction. This is a net negative rating of -47, down from -38 last month.
• When asked to score the government’s performance on a scale of 0-10, the Labour government receives an average performance rating of 3.5 out of 10 (down slightly from 3.9 last month). Almost half (48%) of respondents rate the government's performance between 0-3, while only 19% give a rating of 7-10.

Favourability towards politicians

• Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has a net favourability of -14 (up slightly from -17 in June), with 32% viewing him favourably and 46% unfavourably.
• Prime Minister Keir Starmer's net favourability stands at – 34, down from -28 last month (21% favourable, 55% unfavourable).
• Former Leader of the Opposition Jeremy Corbyn has similar ratings to his successor, with 22% favourable and 54% unfavourable (net -32).
• Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has a net favourability of -11, with 27% favourable and 38% unfavourable.
• Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch has a net favourability of -30 (17% favourable, 47% unfavourable).
• 22% hold a favourable view of Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey, while a third (34%) are unfavourable, giving him a net score of -12.
• Chancellor Rachel Reeves has seen a slight dip in her favourability, with 14% favourable and 53% unfavourable. This gives a net rating of -39, equalling her worst favourability as Chancellor.

Favourability among 2024 Labour voters

Among Labour voters:

• 55% are favourable towards Gordon Brown, while 18% are unfavourable (net +37).
• Half (51%) are favourable towards Keir Starmer, with a quarter (26%) unfavourable (net +25).
• Four in ten (41%) are favourable towards Jeremy Corbyn, while 31% are unfavourable (net +10).
• The same proportion (41%) are favourable towards Tony Blair, while 29% are unfavourable (net +12).
• Three in ten (31%) are favourable towards Chancellor Rachel Reeves, while 27% are unfavourable (net +4).

Favourability towards political parties 

• 24% continue to be favourable towards the Labour party, down slightly from 27% last month. 53% are unfavourable, giving a net favourability rating of -29.
• Two in ten (21%) express a favourable view of the Conservative party, with 52% unfavourable. This gives them a net rating of -31.
• The Green Party’s net rating is -9, down from -5 last month. 26% are favourable towards the party, while 35% are unfavourable.
• The Liberal Democrats sit at -11. 24% express a favourable view and 35% unfavourable.
• Reform UK has a net rating of -12 (same as last month). 32% hold a favourable view of the party, with 44% unfavourable.

Prime Ministerial Holidays 

With recess fast approaching, elsewhere in the poll people were also asked how they feel about the Prime Minister and other politicians taking holidays.

• 44% say that the Prime Minister should take about the same amount of holiday as the average UK worker, with a third (33%) saying they should take less.
• 46% say it is important that the Prime Minister takes holiday, however only a quarter (25%) think it is important where they choose to go.
• Over three quarters (78%) say that it is important that the Prime Minister is easily contacted on holiday if necessary.

Keiran Pedley, Director of UK Politics at Ipsos said:

It is a cause for concern for Labour that after just over a year in office, half of the public think they have changed Britain for the worse and a similar proportion think the country is heading in the wrong direction that did under the Conservatives just before the General Election. Keir Starmer’s personal poll ratings have fallen in that time and are now similar to former leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Technical note: 

• Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,144 adults aged 18+ across Great Britain. Interviews were conducted online between the 11th-14th July 2025.
• Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.