Keir Starmer preferred to Kemi Badenoch as Prime Minister with public split on whether she will lead Conservatives into the next General Election

The latest Ipsos Political Pulse, carried out 8-11 November, examines public opinion towards the new leader of the opposition Kemi Badenoch compared to Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Starmer preferred as Prime Minister

• When asked who would make a better Prime Minister, Keir Starmer holds a significant lead over Kemi Badenoch. 37% of Britons prefer Starmer and 19% Badenoch.
• However, 38% say there is no difference between the two (16%) or that neither would make a good PM (22%). 13% don’t know.

Scepticism about Badenoch's impact on the Conservative party

• Only a quarter (24%) of respondents believe Badenoch will change the Conservative Party for the better, while 17% think she will change it for the worse, and 38% anticipate no difference. 
• This contrasts with public opinion of Keir Starmer when he became Labour leader in April 2020, when 43% thought he would change the Labour party for the better (31% said he’d make no difference, 6% said he’d change the party for the worse).

Doubts about Badenoch's path to Downing Street

• Half of Britons (51%) think it is unlikely Kemi Badenoch will ever become Prime Minister, while a quarter (24%) think it is likely. 
• Public opinion is split on whether Kemi Badenoch will lead the Conservatives into the next General Election (36% likely vs. 38% unlikely). In contrast, a clear majority (52%) believe Keir Starmer will lead Labour into that election.

Limited public awareness

• Only a quarter of Britons (24%) report knowing a great deal or a fair amount about Kemi Badenoch. 
• In contrast, six in ten (63%) say they know a great deal or fair amount about Keir Starmer.

Keiran Pedley, Director of UK Politics at Ipsos said: 

These numbers are a reminder of the scale of challenge Kemi Badenoch faces as Conservative leader. The public prefer Keir Starmer as Prime Minister and are sceptical she will change the Conservatives for the better, with many doubting she will lead the party into the next election at all. However, Badenoch is as yet a fairly unknown entity with the public. She will hope to make a positive early impression and that these numbers improve for her and her party as the parliament progresses.

Technical note: 

• Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,139 adults aged 18+ across Great Britain. Interviews were conducted online between the 8th-11th 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.