Majority of Britons continue to be unfavourable towards Rishi Sunak

• No obvious preferred alternative amongst 2019 Conservative voters
• 6 in 10 continue to think Britain is moving in the wrong direction

The first Ipsos Political Pulse of 2024, conducted online between the 12th and 14th January, asked the public whether they were favourable or unfavourable towards leading UK politicians and their respective parties, whether they thought Britain was heading in the right or wrong direction and what impact they thought leaving the European Union has had on the country.

Favourability towards Rishi Sunak and other leading politicians

• 53% of the public are unfavourable towards Rishi Sunak and 24% are favourable. Scores are largely unchanged since September when 24% were favourable and 52% unfavourable. A far cry from net positive scores Mr Sunak enjoyed as Chancellor at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, last January, 30% were favourable and 39% unfavourable.

• 28% are favourable towards Labour leader Keir Starmer and 41% are unfavourable. Mr Starmer’s scores are largely unchanged throughout 2023 but are slightly down on the 33% favourable and 38% unfavourable this time last year. 

Amidst speculation about Rishi Sunak’s leadership of the Conservative party, it is noted that no strong alternative stands out amongst 2019 Conservative voters. In fact, favourability figures for Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson are virtually identical (42% and 43% respectively) with Johnson registering higher unfavourable figures.  Meanwhile, 38% of 2019 Conservative voters are favourable towards Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and 28% towards Home Secretary James Cleverly.

Favourability towards political parties 

Looking at attitudes to the parties themselves we continue to see the public as more favourable towards the Labour Party than the Conservatives. This month 33% are favourable towards Labour and 39% are unfavourable. A year ago 35% were favourable and 36% unfavourable.  Meanwhile, 22% are favourable towards the Conservatives and 51% are unfavourable. A year ago those figures were 25% and 51% respectively.

Elsewhere in the poll:

• 61% think things in Britain are heading in the wrong direction and 16% think things are heading in the right direction.  This is the 8th month in a row where around 6 in 10 have said things are moving in the wrong direction.
• 54% think the UK’s decision to leave the European Union has had a negative impact on the country. 23% say there has been a positive impact and 17% say it has made no difference. A year ago those figures were 54% negative, 23% positive and 19% no difference.
• 43% say they are likely to consider voting Labour at the next General Election, including 85% of 2019 Labour voters and 21% of 2019 Conservative voters.
• 28% say they are likely to consider voting Conservative, including 64% of 2019 Conservative voters and 5% of 2019 Labour voters.
• 25% say they will consider voting Green, including 38% of 2019 Labour voters and 9% of 2019 Conservatives.
• 23% say they will consider voting Lib Dem, including 25% of 2019 Labour voters and 19% of 2019 Conservatives.
• 19% will consider voting Reform UK, including 28% of 2019 Conservatives and 9% of 2019 Labour voters.

Ipsos Director of Politics Keiran Pedley said of the findings:

With a majority of Britons unfavourable towards Rishi Sunak, 6 in 10 saying things are heading in the wrong direction and Labour maintaining a large poll lead over the Conservatives in voter preferences, leadership speculation is to be expected.  However, it is unclear who would do a better job. No obvious alternative stands out amongst 2019 Conservative voters so far. Plus, given at least half of Britons have held unfavourable opinions towards the Conservative Party since early 2022, it’s not a given that a new leader will improve the party brand any time soon.

Technical note

Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,087 GB adults aged 18+. Interviews were conducted online from 12th to 14th January 2024. Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.