Humiliation for Keir Starmer as poll finds he's 'least popular PM of all time'

A damning new poll has revealed that Sir Keir Starmer is the least popular Prime Minister of all time. It comes ahead of the Labour annual conference in Liverpool, which begins tomorrow, Sunday, September 28, where Starmer is expected to face a major leadership challenge.

The Ipsos poll, which surveyed over 1,100 adults in the week to September 17, showed that 79% of people are dissatisfied with the current Prime Minister while only 13% are happy with his leadership - a satisfaction rating of -66. The worst ratings for a Prime Minister on record had been Rishi Sunak in April 2024 and Sir John Major in August 1994, with both scoring -59.

In terms of voting intention, the poll gives Reform UK a 12-point lead over Labour with 34%. The Labour Party's 22% is the lowest score Ipsos has recorded for them since 2009. Reform UK will likely dominate discussions at the upcoming conference, with their rise partly down to Starmer's failure to stop small boat crossings.

As reported by The Telegraph, voters in the poll also believed Farage would make a more capable Prime Minister than Starmer. It also shows that Rachel Reeves is the least popular Chancellor since records began.

Reeves scored a net satisfaction of -56 while the net satisfaction with the Government is at -70. A quarter of voters said Farage would make the most capable Prime Minister while Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch only got 9% of the vote.

The poll also revealed that only around 50% of Labour's voters last year will continue to back the party. Only 14% of the voters said they intend to vote for the Tories at the next election - the lowest number since 1976.

Badenoch is the only mainstream party leader who is not seen as the most appropriate Prime Minister by their own supporters, according to the poll. Just 44% of Tory voters think she would make the best leader.

Gideon Skinner, senior director of UK politics at Ipsos, said: "Keir Starmer's personal satisfaction rating shows the scale of the task facing him amid growing talk of a leadership challenge.

"Labour's share of the vote is the lowest we have recorded since 2009 and has dipped three points since June, following a difficult start to the autumn in which he lost his deputy prime minister and his ambassador to the US.

"But Labour's issues are deeper than changes in personnel - they are losing votes to both Left and Right, with the public still pessimistic about the state of the economy, immigration and public services, despite his planned relaunch to put a renewed focus on delivery.

He added: "Reform's 12-point lead confirms the party's strong performance this year, helped by ongoing public concern over immigration but also wider discontent over the state of the nation, allowing Reform to take on the mantle of change.

"There is no sign of a revival for the Conservatives, who still bump along at the lowest vote share we have ever recorded for the party, raising further questions about Kemi Badenoch's ability to cut through."