Sir Keir Starmer now as unpopular with public as Nigel Farage, polling suggests

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Louise Thomas

Editor

Sir Keir Starmer is now as unpopular as Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, the latest opinion polling has suggested.

Some 60% of people now hold an unfavourable opinion of the Labour Party, according to pollsters at YouGov, just three months after it swept to power with a landslide majority at the general election.

Sir Keir’s net favourability ratings have dropped to minus 36 with the British public, while Mr Farage is at minus 35.

Outgoing Conservative party leader Rishi Sunak is however less popular than either of them, with a minus 42 rating among the public.

The latest research by YouGov took a sample size of 2,121 adults across Britain between October 4 and 6.

Some 27% of people surveyed have a favourable opinion of the Prime Minister, while 63% have an unfavourable opinion, and 9% do not know, giving him a net score of minus 36 favourability.

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey scores much better with the public among the political party leaders, with only a minus seven net rating, though 43% of those polled said they did not know what their opinion was of him.

Among Sir Keir’s top team no Cabinet minister had a net positive rating, though Rachel Reeves has the least favourable opinion among the public, scoring minus 29.

Opinion of the Chancellor may have been coloured by her announcement that the Government will scrap the universal winter fuel payment for pensioners, limiting the benefit to only the poorest.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner was seen as the second least favourable Cabinet minister among the public, with a minus 25 net rating, while Transport Secretary Louise Haigh had the most favourable rating with a minus eight score, though some 82% of those polled did not have an opinion on her.

Top Government adviser Sue Gray, who left her role as No 10 chief of staff this weekend to act as an “envoy” to the nations and regions, meanwhile has a net -22 favourability rating with the public.

Labour is judged unfavourably by 60% of the public in the latest research, just ahead of Reform UK at 59%.

The Tories continue to be the least popular political party following the election, with 65% of the public holding an unfavourable view of them.

Elsewhere, none of the Tory leadership contenders had a net positive favourability with the public.

Kemi Badenoch was the least popular, with a minus 27 rating.

Robert Jenrick and James Cleverly both had a minus 19 rating, while Tom Tugendhat was seen as the most favourable among those polled with a minus 13 rating.