Starmer's Favourability Rating Goes Lower Even Faster Than Tory Predecessors
Keir Starmer’s approval ratings keep getting worse. In a recent poll by YouGov, 73% of respondents said he was performing “Badly” in office. Meanwhile, Opinium reported that Starmer's net approval rates have dropped to a record low of -49 %, lower than the record low rankings of Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak and Theresa May.
Despite the large downturn in the PM’s approval, Labour’s seats have remained consistent. Throughout the past month they have remained largely unchanged with an average of 133 seats. Starmer's falling ratings are reflective of the broader public movement away from the major parties towards far more rapidly growing parties such as Reform UK and The Green Party. In the case of voter intentions, immigration remains as Reform’s most prominent issue with 66% placing it as a top priority. In a January 2026 poll by IPSOS, 44% of the respondents would trust Nigel Farage’s Reform party to manage immigration compared to 23% trusting Starmer’s Labour.
Public dissatisfaction regarding Starmer’s handling of immigration within the UK could be a driving factor of his disapproval. After immigration, the cost of living is the most pressing problem for 16% of the public, and identified by the Labour Party voters as their top priority. The trust in the Labour Party led by Kier Starmer to reduce the cost of living is at 27%, only slightly ahead of Reform led by Nigel Farage, leaving them neck and neck.
When placed directly against other leading politicians in response to the question of “Who would make a better prime minister”, Starmer is placed in a precarious position. He is nearly tied with Farage at (32% to 31%) and with Kemi Badenoch at (26% to 25%) respectively. These statistics suggest that Starmer's durability as Prime Minister is increasingly fragile, but the Labour Party's Parliamentary position remains stable.
If the Labour leader continues to trail his party this may well presage a change of leader after the May elections.
