Moderate honeymoon continues for Labour and Keir Starmer but sees small slips as half think Britain is heading in wrong direction

• Ratings for Labour party and politicians fall slightly in second month of government, but remain stronger than Conservatives after 2019 election or Rishi Sunak’s early months
• However, half think things in Britain are heading in the wrong direction

The latest Ipsos Political Pulse, taken 9th – 12th August, explores attitudes towards various political parties and their leaders and what direction the country is going in.

Favourability ratings

Although ratings have dropped slightly since the immediate aftermath of the General Election on July 4th, perceptions of Keir Starmer, key Labour figures, and the Labour Party still show signs of a honeymoon period. 

• Although his net rating has fallen to 0 from a rating of +7 immediately after the election, Keir Starmer remains the most popular politician asked about. 38% have a favourable opinion towards the Prime Minister (-2 from Jul ’24), whilst 38% are unfavourable (+5). This compares to a net rating of -10 for Rishi Sunak in his second month as Prime Minister (November 2022), and a net rating of -8 for Boris Johnson in January 2020.
• 40% said they were favourable towards the Labour Party (N/C), compared to 37% who were unfavourable (+3).  This net rating of +3 compares with -32 for the Conservative Party in November 2022, and -14 for the Conservatives in January 2020.
• 33% (N/C) said they were favourable towards Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, 36% unfavourable (+3). 
• There has been a slight increase in the numbers of those who hold unfavourable opinions towards Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Chancellor Rachel Reeves. 28% (-1) said they are favourable towards Yvette Cooper, 33% unfavourable (+6); and 27% favourable (N/C) towards Rachel Reeves, 35% unfavourable (+10).

Elsewhere in the poll

• Ratings towards Rishi Sunak and the Conservative Party remain steady post-election. 20% said they were favourable towards Sunak (-1), 58% unfavourable (+1). 
• Likewise, 21% are favourable towards the Conservatives (+1), 57% unfavourable (-2).
• Both Ed Davey and the Liberal Democrats have seen a slight rating hit this month. 22% said they were favourable towards Davey, down from 29% in the week following the election. 31% said they were unfavourable towards Davey, compared to 26% in July. Likewise, 24% said they were favourable towards the Liberal Democrats (-5), 34% unfavourable (+6).
• Ratings for Nigel Farage remain broadly in line with those taken in July, while Reform UK sees a marginal slip. 25% said they were favourable towards Nigel Farage (-1), 54% unfavourable (+2); 23% said they were favourable towards Reform UK (-2), 54% unfavourable (+3).

Direction of the country and impact of Brexit

• 22% said that they think things in Great Britain are heading in the right direction (-3 from Jul ’24), 52% wrong direction (+3), and 19% neither (N/C). This gives a net right direction of the country rating of -30, which is down from -24 last month (though still better than the previous two years).

• Half continue to think that the UK’s decision to leave the EU has had a negative impact on the country (53%, N/C from April 2024). A quarter said they think the UK’s decision to leave the EU has had a positive impact (+4 from April 2024), whilst 19% think it has made no difference (-2).

Gideon Skinner, Senior Director of UK Politics at Ipsos, said:

Labour and Keir Starmer are still enjoying a moderate honeymoon period as they enter their second month in government – the public feel somewhat more positively towards them then they did before the election was called, they are more popular than their main opponents, and their ratings are above the equivalent figures for Boris Johnson and the Conservatives two months after their 2019 victory, and above the two months after Rishi Sunak became PM.
But Labour’s ratings are not impregnable (for example, Boris Johnson benefited from a bigger halo effect at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic).  There are signs of a small increase in public criticism of Labour, the Prime Minister and other key Cabinet  Ministers this month, but just as important for their longer-term prospects is the level of pessimism around the state of the country.  This is not as bad as it was under the Conservatives, but half of Britons still think things are going in the wrong direction, and delivering on the public’s desire for improvements will be key when the honeymoon period ends.

Technical note

Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,148 adults aged 18+ across Great Britain. Polling was conducted online between the 9th – 12th August 2024. Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.