Two in three say Labour should change leader before next General Election
Neither Corbyn nor Eagle convince the public they have what it takes to be a good PM
Two in three (66%) of the British public think that the Labour Party should change its leader before the next General Election in 2020, according to Ipsos’s July Political Monitor. This is up from 42% in October last year, and includes a majority of Labour voters (54%, vs 41% disagree).
When asked if they have what it takes to be a good Prime Minister, only around one in five are convinced by the current Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, or his challenger, Angela Eagle. 23% agree that Jeremy Corbyn has what it takes to be a good PM, and 68% disagree (this compares with Theresa May’s figures of 55% thinking she has what it takes and 27% disagreeing). Current Labour supporters are split in their views of him – 47% think he has what it takes, while 45% disagree. There is a clear age divide – 40% of those aged 18-34 feel Mr Corbyn has what it takes, compared with 16% of those aged 55+.
Angela Eagle’s ratings are also on balance negative among the public at large (although many - 24% - say they don’t know), but she also has a net negative rating among current Labour voters. Among all Britons, 21% think she has what it takes to be a good PM, but 40% disagree. Among current Labour voters, 29% say she has what it takes, but 37% disagree.
Among supporters of other parties, only 11% believe Jeremy Corbyn has what it takes to be a good PM, while 81% disagree. For Angela Eagle, 18% think she has what it takes, but 43% do not.
Gideon Skinner, Head of Political Research at Ipsos, said:
“Jeremy Corbyn faces an uphill battle to persuade the public he has what it takes to be a good PM – his ratings are similar to Ed Miliband’s a year before the 2015 General Election (and are a long way behind Theresa May). Current Labour supporters are split down the middle in their views, although just over half of them think the party should change its leader before the next election. However, at this stage his challenger Angela Eagle also shows little sign of breaking through with the public.”Technical note Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,021 adults aged 18+ across Great Britain. Interviews were conducted by telephone 9th-11th July 2016. Data are weighted to the profile of the population.
