Polls Finds Starmer Is Already As Popular As Boris Johnson Was At His Peak

The PM is where Johnson was in the polls during the Covid vaccine rollout.
Keir Starmer is now as popular as Boris Johnson was during the Covid vaccine rollout.
Keir Starmer is now as popular as Boris Johnson was during the Covid vaccine rollout.
via Associated Press

Keir Starmer is now as popular as Boris Johnson was at the height of the Covid vaccine rollout, according to a new poll.

Pollster Ipsos found 36% of the public said they thought Starmer was doing a good job as the prime minister after just one full week in office – that’s almost twice the number who thought the same about Rishi Sunak when he was in office in May.

The 36% for Starmer is the highest rating recorded for any prime minister since February 2021, when 37% of the public expressed the same sentiment about Johnson.

The government was successfully rolling out the Covid vaccine at the time.

But, Johnson also faced a lot of division – 41% thought negatively of him at the same time.

In comparison, just 14% say Starmer is not doing a good job now.

Director of politics at Ipsos, Keiran Pedley, said the results suggested Starmer was enjoying a “honeymoon period”.

He said: “Looking at Keir Starmer’s poll ratings there are increasing signs of the new prime minister enjoying something of a honeymoon period during his first few days in office.”

The poll surveyed 1,092 UK adults online between July 12 and 15 – Starmer only got into Downing Street on July 5.

The new government is experiencing similarly high ratings to the new PM, with 34% of respondents in the poll saying they believed the country was being run well.

Just 16% saying they thought Labour was doing a bad job – that’s slightly higher than the peak of Johnson’s government.

Meanwhile, 34% said it was going better than they had expected, including the 59% who voted Labour on July 4.

Those respondents aged between 18 and 34 appear to be most supportive of Starmer right now, with 45% saying the government was performing better than expected.

Pedley said: “Of course, time will tell how long such ratings last, with Starmer and his Government’s ability to deliver against public priorities likely to dictate their respective political fortunes in the long term.”

Close

What's Hot