Keir Starmer’s approval ratings plummet to same level as Jeremy Corbyn’s
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s ratings have slumped to the same low level as his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn’s at the equivalent stage of his leadership, according to a new poll.
Satisfaction with Starmer’s leadership has fallen sharply to a net score of minus 29, identical to the figure recorded by Corbyn after 14 months at the Labour party helm.
The research by Ipsos Mori will send shockwaves through the opposition party, which was already struggling with factional warfare following its crushing defeat in the Hartlepool by-election in May.
Starmer’s ratings for “having sound judgement” and being “a capable leader” plunged in the poll, as his party prepares for another by-election in Tracy Brabin’s Batley and Spen parliamentary seat at the beginning of July. Crucially for the Red Wall seats, Starmer is also seen as much less patriotic than Boris Johnson.
The poll findings, first published in the Evening Standard, reveal that half the public think Labour should change its leader before the next general election. Woundingly, 48 per cent of Labour supporters say they agree.
In the wake of vaccine optimism, Boris Johnson fared better in the poll. Only 40 per cent of the public think the Conservatives should change leader before the next election, and just 22 per cent of Tory voters.
Both the public and Labour’s own supporters view Manchester mayor Andy Burnham as a better would-be Prime Minister than Starmer. Behind him, London mayor Sadiq Khan also scores higher than Starmer as a better potential PM.
Just 22 per cent of the public are satisfied with Starmer’s leadership, down 14 points since April. A majority of 51 per cent say they are dissatisfied with him, up five points in the same period.
Starmer’s satisfaction scores are comparable with those of previous leaders of the opposition Iain Duncan Smith and Michael Howard 14 months into their leadership. In the aftermath of Labour’s disastrous 2019 election defeat, Jeremy Corbyn scored as low as minus 60 in the polls.