Which British politician would top the Strictly leaderboard?

As the nation remains captivated by the glitz and glamour of the new series of Strictly Come Dancing, a new Ipsos poll reveals which politicians would waltz their way to victory in the hearts of the British public, if they were to compete on the popular show.

The survey, conducted among 1,100 British adults aged 18+, found that the nation is evenly split on whether they would consider themselves fans of the beloved BBC show, with 39% identifying as fans to varying degrees, and 39% stating they are not fans.

Amongst those who do enjoy the spray tanned, sequin-filled spectacle, Labour’s Angela Rayner emerges as the clear front-runner, narrowly beating out competition from former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to claim the coveted glitterball trophy. 

Strictly fans were also asked about several other scenarios in a hypothetical politician edition of the show: 

• Most Likely to Win: Angela Rayner (11%) narrowly edged out Boris Johnson (10%) and Andy Burnham (10%) as the most likely to win a hypothetical politician edition of Strictly.
• Most Improved: Rayner again topped the leaderboard (16%) when it came to showing improvement throughout the competition, followed by Keir Starmer (13%) and Rishi Sunak (12%).
• First to Face the Music: Liz Truss (21%) was deemed most likely to face an early exit, with Keir Starmer (15%) and Boris Johnson (15%) hot on her heels.
• Blackpool Tower Ballroom Blunder: Boris Johnson (22%) topped the poll as the politician most likely to commit a dance floor disaster, with Jacob Rees-Mogg (17%) and Nigel Farage (15%) also considered likely to stumble.
• Perfect 40 Potential: When it came to achieving a perfect score, Rayner (9%) and Starmer (8%) led the pack.
• Boris Johnson comeback: Boris Johnson (19%) was deemed most likely to win over the public’s hearts despite a lack of dancing prowess. A wardrobe malfunction was also considered a distinct possibility for the gaffe-prone former PM (22%).

Commenting on the findings, Holly Day, UK Research Manager at Ipsos said: 

Our latest light-hearted findings provide a glimpse into the public’s perception of their political leaders, highlighting the power of entertainment to transcend the world of politics. As the real Strictly stars continue to battle it out on the dance floor, it’s fun to see how the public thinks politicians would fare under the glare of the spotlight and the scrutiny of the Strictly Come Dancing judges.

Technical Note

Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,100 adults aged 18+ across Great Britain, of whom 537 consider themselves fans of Strictly Come Dancing. Polling was conducted online between 20th-23rd September 2024. Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.