Jeremy Corbyn has lowest leadership satisfaction rating for any opposition leader since 1977

• Jeremy Corbyn has lowest leadership satisfaction rating for any opposition leader since 1977
• Few see Corbyn doing a good job at handling Brexit
• Labour party supporters strongly in favour of delaying Brexit / holding second referendum

Ipsos’s new Political Monitor poll reveals Jeremy Corbyn now has the lowest net satisfaction ratings of any opposition leader since the survey began in 1977. Three quarters of Britons (76%) say they are dissatisfied with the way he is doing his job as leader of the opposition (up 7 points from July) – 16% (down 3 points) say they are satisfied) leaving him a net satisfaction score of -60 (down 10 points). Labour party supporters are slightly more satisfied than dissatisfied in the Labour Party leader. Half (51%) say they’re satisfied with him (up 2 points) while 41% say they’re dissatisfied (down 2 points) leaving him a net satisfaction score of +10 amongst Labour supporters.

Britons were asked whether a series of personal attributes applied to Jeremy Corbyn.

• When it comes to Prime Ministerial qualities scores, one in five say that Jeremy Corbyn is a capable leader (21%), good in a crisis (20%) and a good representative of Britain on the world stage (20%) while a quarter (25%) says he has sound judgement.
• A quarter (25%) say that he has got a lot of personality, while another quarter (27%) say that he is more style than substance and 37% say that he is more honest than most politicians.
• Forty-three per cent say that Corbyn understands the problems facing Britain while 45% say that he is out of touch with ordinary people.
• A fifth (19%) say that Corbyn gives them confidence in Britain’s future while 36% see him as patriotic

When it comes to Brexit specifically three quarters (77%) say that he is doing a bad job at handling Britain’s exit from the EU (down 4 points from May) with 14% saying he’s doing a good job (up 2 points). Corbyn also struggles with Labour supporters on how he’s handling Brexit. A third (34%) say that he’s doing a good job however half (48%) say he’s doing a bad job.

The new poll also asks Britons to consider various Brexit outcomes if a deal is not reached by 31 October.

• When it comes to leaving the EU without a deal the public are largely split – 43% would support while 47% would oppose it. Labour party supporters overwhelmingly oppose leaving without a deal with three quarters (73%) opposed to it and 17% in support of it. In direct contrast, three quarters of Conservative party supporters support leaving without a deal (up 10% since July 2019) and 17% oppose it (down 11%).
• If it comes to delaying Britain’s departure from the EU until a deal is reached slightly more are in favour (49%) compared to those opposed (43%). Labour party supporters strongly favour delaying Britain’s departure in this case with 79% in support of this and 18% opposed. Only one in five (22%) Conservative party supporters support delaying Britain’s departure, while 75% oppose it.
• More Britons are in support of holding a second referendum with Remain as an option than are opposed should no deal be reached by October 31st. Half (51%) say they would support a second referendum while 43% would oppose it. Labour party supporters are strongly in favour of a second referendum with 78% supporting it and 18% opposed to it. Nearly four in five (78%) Conservative party supporters oppose another referendum, while 17% support it.

Keiran Pedley, Research Director at Ipsos, said:

Corbyn’s historically dire personal poll ratings will concern Labour supporters as the party heads into an expected General Election. When Tony Blair and David Cameron assumed office from opposition both had positive net satisfaction scores and Corbyn’s currently stands at -60. However, he was able to significantly improve his personal poll ratings during the 2017 General Election campaign so perhaps he will again. Whether he can do so against the backdrop of a resurgent Lib Dems and lukewarm public support for his Brexit stance remains to be seen

Technical Note

Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,006 adults aged 18+ across Great Britain. Interviews were conducted by telephone 13th – 16th September 2019.  Data are weighted to the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error. On the basis of the historical record of the polls at recent general elections, there is a 9 in 10 chance that the true value of a party’s support lies within 4 points of the estimates provided by this poll, and a 2 in 3 chance that they lie within 2 points.