Ipsos in the UK: New Prime Minister, same challenge: Britons want change but lack faith in parties' plans

• Six in ten British adults are not confident that any of the major national political parties have a good plan for changing Britain.  
• 83% of the public demand significant reform to tackle cost of living pressures, including 51% who state that radical change is necessary.
• Nearly 3 in 10 Britons (30%) express confidence that Andy Burnham has a good plan for changing Britain, placing him marginally ahead of Reform and Conservative party leaders.
• New research points to Britons desire for change being rooted in everyday frustrations such as the NHS, Cost of Living and housing.

Recent polling data from Ipsos in the UK, conducted 3–7 July 2026, reveals widespread public desire for change across key policy areas as Andy Burnham enters Downing Street as Britain’s seventh Prime Minister in ten years.

However, our research highlights a deep-seated challenge of a lack of confidence in the political parties and leaders to deliver it, with a clear majority of the public unconvinced that any political party possesses a credible plan to deliver to meet their desires.

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

Today the public are prepared to give the new Prime Minister and Labour a hearing. But political honeymoons in Britain tend to be short, and how long voters will wait before making a judgement remains to be seen.  

Our recent polling shows there is a demonstrable and hungry appetite for change from the British public.

Yet while Britons agree that things need to be different, they are often far less clear on what change should mean in practice, or whether a radical or moderate change is the best approach. 

The issues the public consistently highlight are cost of living pressures, immigration and border control, and the NHS. He will now need to demonstrate not just how he can offer hope, but how he intends to deliver meaningful improvements in these areas.

The challenge for Andy Burnham will be turning a broad desire for change into a tangible and credible programme of government. He will need to hit the ground running to convince the public his agenda is the right one – and demonstrate change quickly – if the pessimistic mood that has consumed governments past is not to consume his too.

More than half want radical change on immigration and borders (54%) and reducing the cost of living (51%).  The public are more likely to want radical, rather than moderate change, in other areas like healthcare, running of utilities, social care, building more affordable houses and welfare. They are less convinced about radical change in transport, education/skills and the devolution of power.

More than half want radical change on immigration and borders (54%) and reducing the cost of living (51%).  The public are more likely to want radical, rather than moderate change, in other areas like healthcare, running of utilities, social care, building more affordable houses and welfare. They are less convinced about radical change in transport, education/skills and the devolution of power. 

Ipsos The Beat qualitative findings on ‘Change’

We asked our online community their views on change. It reveals that while many Britons agree change is needed, there is less agreement on what form it should take. 

Some participants argued that "gradual tinkering has failed" and that "we need radical change now", while others stressed that existing systems could work more effectively with better management and warned that "radical change sounds exciting, but it often brings unintended consequences"

Full findings are available in the downloadable tables.

Notes:

•    For media queries, please contact the Ipsos in the UK Press Office at [email protected]
•    For the full findings, please visit the Ipsos website. 
•    Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,127 online British adults aged 18+ (and 1,078 online British adults aged 18–75 for party and leader confidence questions). Polling was conducted online between 3–7 July 2026. 
•    Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error. 
•    Qualitative community insights were sourced from 204 participants via The Beat online community between 6–7 June 2026.