Like Toto the dog pulling back the wizard's curtain, the rancorous and increasingly risible leadership contest is exposing rifts within the SNP as never before; instead of revealing a kindly old . February was another good month of polling for the Labour Party and Keir Starmer, who ended January holding a 21% lead over the Conservatives. He has not dared to seize the initiative as workers pay falls well behind rocketing inflation. Meanwhile, he has differentiated Labour simply by eschewing the more indefensible forms of predatory capitalism the current Conservative leadership embraces. It was a key insight to recognise that the DUP had overreached itself at the expense of the UKs wider economic and political interests, and was therefore in a weaker position than many assumed. Focaldata found that Starmer is regarded as more trustworthy than Johnson, better equipped to make tough decisions and more competent. The king played his symbolic role. and already Sunak seems to be making inroads into the Labour opinion poll lead, perhaps due to positive coverage of his NI Protocol efforts. Starmer has sacked one shadow minister, Sam Tarry, the partner of Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner, after Tarry declared that every worker should get a pay rise in line with inflation. Some 39% of people see the Labour leader as the more effective PM according to the poll, which was commissioned by the Evening Standard. He is also said to regularly chat with Starmer about the job of opposition leader and what to expect if he enters No. The politics of selling it was always going to be a much tougher task. This represents a five-point jump for Labour when compared to polling carried out by the channel last week, and no movement at all for the Conservatives, who remain on 21% of the vote. Sorting the protocol was in that category, a sensible bit of ground-clearing and confidence-building. To find out more information about this research, As Sunak Heralds Protocol Deal, Majority of British Voters Remain Indifferent to Northern Ireland, Plurality of Britons Support Teachers Going on Strike, Latest Blue Wall Voting Intention (26 February 2023), Latest GB Voting Intention (26 February 2023), Britons and Americans Have Similar Views on Recent Chinese Spy Balloon Controversy, Britons Support Governments Ukraine Policy, But More Urgency on Domestic Challenges Needed, the announcement of a deal with the European Union, Sunak and Starmer Monthly Polling Report Card (February 2023), Joe Biden Administration Approval Ratings and Hypothetical Voting Intention (19 February 2023), Latest Red Wall Voting Intention (19 February 2023), Latest GB Voting Intention (18 February 2023), Peter Obi Leads Decisively in Nigeria Polling, Latest Blue Wall Voting Intention (11-12 February 2023). Yet Starmer found himself going backwards, as Labour sank gently in the opinion polls. Labour ahead of Tories by two points, but Labours leader failing to make a personal breakthrough. The fact weve climbed out of the hole we were in was never a given. In an interview with the New Statesman last month, Tarry offered a damning assessment of the Labour leader, accusing him of tearing the party apart to erase any trace of Corbynism, despite his predecessor taking the party in 2017 to within an inch of an election victory. Anybody with leadership experience will think this screams competence. Political Monitor. How Sir Keir Starmer's Labour would run a government From 'wealth' taxes to net zero, this is how the would-be PM may act should his party's huge opinion poll lead see them through an election The polling companies listed are members of the British Polling Council (BPC) and abide by its disclosure rules. The following polls asked about voters' opinions on Jeremy Corbyn, the former leader of the Labour Party until 4 April 2020. politics . It is a dramatic capitulation for a party in opposition that grew out of the activities of the trade union movement and still affirms on its website that its affiliation with leading unions is what makes [Labour] unique. Hopes for that encounter had been high following the confidence vote held by Tory MPs over Johnsons leadership, a move that left the prime minister deeply wounded with 148 voting against him. Recent polls also suggest the party has a clear double-digit lead in the 23 June byelection in Wakefield, the type of seat it will need to win back if it hopes to win a majority or form the government at the next election. Meanwhile, Sunak continues to trail Keir Starmer in most of the country on the question of which would be the better Prime Minister at this moment. The Windsor Framework "gives enough" to end the Stormont stalemate, Sir Keir Starmer believes. The poll, based on the responses of 2,004 adults in the UK, also showed: Sir Keir Starmer slumps 17 points behind PM in new poll - and a third of Labour voters want him to quit, Sir Keir Starmer is lagging well behind Boris Johnson in a new opinion poll, Starmer 'up to it' as Labour leader - Miliband, Starmer 'trying to move party forward' - Brown, 'Labour Party has to do some soul searching', 33% of Labour voters want Sir Keir to resign as party leader, Two-thirds think Labour did badly in the local elections earlier this month but just 31% blame Sir Keir, 57% said Sir Keir has been a better party leader than his predecessor Mr Corbyn, The top choice for Sir Keir's replacement as Labour Party leader was Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, with approval from 47% and disapproval from 19%, The Conservatives are up two points to 44%, whilst Labour has dropped six points to 31%. "However, at least then Labour could console itself that their leader was new and making a positive impression. Now that would shock people.. 7 times Hancock hogged UK headlines, Chief of Staff - Maternity Cover (Brussels), Metsola wants Ukraine EU membership talks to start this year, Aggro-culture: Farmers protest brings Brussels EU Quarter to a standstill, Rishi Sunak says Whitehall must be impartial amid row over Grays Labour job. But it remains to be seen whether the announcement of a deal with the European Union over the Northern Ireland Protocol will lead to a reversal in the Governments polling fortunes. The Labour leader said he is glad the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is taking time to consider . Starmer, he said, was making catastrophic errors, creating a punch-up with our own side. The Lib Dems are on 13% with the Greens on 6%. What it shows is that these guys think Keir is going to win. Sunak also gets to choose the election date. The Opinium figures, which will raise further concerns within Labour over the party leaders performance, shows that the prime minister has a two-point lead over his opponent. The appetite for a more radical approach to the Tory government has been highlighted by the rapid rise of Mick Lynch, leader of the striking Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers union (RMT). The following polls asked about voters' opinions on Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay, co-leaders of the Green Party of England and Wales since October 2021. At various dates in the run up to the next United Kingdom general election, various organisations have carried out opinion polling to gauge the opinions that voters hold towards political leaders. The DUP was not allowed to hijack the launch and mobilise the European Research Group. Starmers Labour increasingly looks like a pale replica of the modern Conservative Party, which publicly extols the virtues of unfettered markets while privately skewing the economic battle-space in big businesss favour - a covert socialism, but for the rich only. The health service has been on its knees. He is very much, here is the problem and this is the solution. Angela Rayner, the Labour deputy leader, also suggested that Starmer looks too much like a lawyer in public appearances and should put some more welly into his speeches. ', asks Mark Dolan. It is, admittedly, early days for such speculation. February was another good month of polling for the Labour Party and Keir Starmer, who ended January holding a 21% lead over the Conservatives. After languishing stubbornly behind the government in surveys since his election to head Labour in early 2020, Starmer is now reported to have a seven-point lead over the Tories new leader, Liz Truss, when the public is asked who would do a better job as prime minister. His party trails Labour by more than 20 points in the polls. It also enjoys some electoral advantages over Labour. The poll also found voters backing Keir Starmer over Rishi Sunak. But he did an important job this week. When Sir Keir Starmer turned Labour chief in 2020, few ever believed he would develop into prime minister. Latest news, analysis and comment on defense in Europe and beyond. The polls may be indicating a huge win for Labour at the next general election, but here's a reason Keir Starmer shouldn't be celebrating yet: Almost two in three voters want a new political party to take on the Conservatives and Labour, a shock new study of trust in politics has found. Labour leader Keir Starmer's promises to team up with business may unsettle some on the left of his party | Hollie Adams/Getty Images. Boris Johnson has been greedily eyeing a return. Overall, more than half the country, 54%, say they do not know who to back on the economy or would rather not say. Back in June, his spokesperson said: Weve been clear in the position that the strikes shouldnt go ahead. The choreography of the protocol deal was also bold. Hes a lawyer hes learning his brief.. But the problem runs deeper. R&WS Research Team. That view is backed by Labours left-wing Momentum faction, which is preparing a showdown with Starmer at the party conference. Even Blairs former manager for high value fundraising Vanessa Bowcock is back in a similar role in Starmers office. In late June, he formally ditched those promises, saying Labour would be starting from scratch. Blair and some of his allies were caricatured as never being happier than when rubbing shoulders with Britains rich and powerful. LONDON Keir Starmer is reportedly considering hiring Sue Gray, the senior civil servant who investigated pandemic rule-busting parties in Boris Johnson's government, as his chief of staff. Different polling companies report widely differing figures on this question, but even Savanta ComRes, long the least favourable to Starmer, now has him two points ahead of Johnson when people are asked: Which of the following do you think would make the best prime minister? Starmer on 33 per cent and Johnson on 31 per cent are both eclipsed by dont know on 36 per cent, but politics is a game of relative advantage. Polling for Ipsos MORI showed the Tories taking the lead in front of Labour again amid a vaccine bou Shadow Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds is known across the City of London as an affable and engaging MP with a real understanding of financial services. Neither Labour or the Cabinet Office denied a report by Sky News' that the Labour leader who current polls suggest could . Previous iterations contained Liz Truss and Jeremy Hunt, Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng, and Keir Starmer and Anneliese Dodds. This is especially true for Labour voters, more than half of whom blame Truss (44%) or Sunak (10%) for the current crisis while only 11% blame global events. Rishi Sunak is shaping up to be a prime minister Keir Starmer should be wary of. Too soon for that. Its 100-a-month business group the Rose Network has more than 500 members, up from 300 less than three years ago. 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The Tories have remained persistently behind Labour throughout the summer and currently stand on 32 per cent of the vote with Labour on 42 per cent, according to BMG. . Our one rule for them framing is paying off, said the source, with Johnson proving it to be true time and again. Cubus Follow. This, to me, points to a considerable reservoir of voter discontent with the available options on left and right.. In my dealings with Gray when I was political secretary, I found her . In addition to leading a party with a commanding position in our voting intention polls, Starmer himself holds healthy approval ratings in all our tracker polls. On the eve of his big speech, Keir Starmer showed his frustration at being constantly compared with two of his predecessors - Jeremy Corbyn and Tony Blair - and declined to say to which of them he was closer. Combined with his purges of the Labour left, including Corbyn, using antisemitism as the pretext, Starmer has hollowed out left-wing politics in the UK of any substance. On policy delivery, the Government continues to struggle massively on the three key issues of the economy, the NHS, and immigration. Sir Keir Starmer's decision to make Sue Gray his chief of staff proves he is a "man of the establishment" and will harm Labour's chances of winning the Red Wall, a former Conservative party chairman has claimed Sir Jake Berry said the appointment underlined that the Labour leader would run a . Poll says 56% of people think . X. Andrew Fisher, Corbyns former director of policy, said Starmers preference for private donations may backfire. It is something Blair spoke about a lot, not having the first idea what he was doing when he got through the door. To me, Starmer is hyper-competent as a manager and organiser. Although his net approval fell to -22% nationally on 18 February, his lowest ever, he ends the month having gained a marginal point from his January rating in both the Red Wall and in Great Britain (up to -17% in both). Nobody wants to see industrial action that is disruptive.. Labours leads range from a yawning 31-point gap in our GB poll on the NHS (that lead representing a one-point gain from late January) to a relatively narrow four-point lead over the Conservatives in the Blue Wall as the party most trusted to manage the economy (32% to 28%, down from a 35% to 25% lead in our last Blue Wall Poll of January). Keir Starmer faced a grilling from students during a visit to St. Columb's College on Friday. Gray, currently in a top job in the Cabinet Office, was tasked with investigating multiple reports of lockdown rule . On the proposal to reduce the threshold at which people pay the highest rate of tax from 150,000 to 125,140, the poll found that 50% of adults support this measure while 13% are opposed. How the PM could block sleaze watchdog's advice on Gray hire and if Labour will ignore him, Opinion | Boris Johnsons 'jobs for Tory cronies' legacy is still alive and kicking, Tory MPs furious at Starmer hiring Sue Gray as Rees-Mogg calls her report 'left-wing stitch-up', publics view of the the Labour leader himself appears to be becoming more negative, Keir Starmer will have been hoping for a polling bounce following his big announcement on freezing energy bills, 'How bad are the pics? . Another shadow cabinet minister agreed. These polls asked the opinions of British voters, not specifically Scottish voters. Government approval on all three issues has risen in the Red Wall, recovering from a particularly bad poll in late January to now stand at -27% on the economy (+14), -41% on the NHS (+13), and -40% on immigration (+7). It is a dramatic capitulation for a party in opposition that grew out of the activities of the trade union movement. This was followed by the legacy of Covid-19 (14%), energy companies (9%) and then Rishi Sunaks Conservative government. Keir Starmer is finally ahead in the polls but at what cost? The 1997 quip by Mandelson that he was intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich as long as they pay their taxes became something of guiding principle for the last Labour governments fundraising efforts. LONDON Keir Starmer wants big business to mold Labours election plans and get its fingerprints on his policy agenda. Sunak was on top of the detail. But that was before the UK's tremendously successful COVID-19 vaccination programme got under way in December, something that seems to have been among the reasons for Mr Johnson's popularity. The leader of the Labour Party Keir Starmer says that under the current rate, the average British family will be poorer than the average Polish family by 2030Parliament TV , Bloomberg. These could include a comparison of leading politicians within the same party (to gauge support for future leadership contests), or compare the current leader of one party to an alternative leader of a second. Nicola Sturgeons departure has disarmed the Scottish separatist threat for a while.. It was an attempt to turn Starmers weaknesses into strengths. But it is circumstance - not a political programme - that has conspired to help Starmer. Johnson was comprehensively outmanoeuvred. His dullness became steadiness; his earnestness became a serious leader for serious times. If Starmers mid-year trough was the mathematical product of Johnsons vaccine-induced rise, his end-year breakthrough could be dismissed as the mere reflection of the prime ministers unpopularity but it feels more soundly based than that. Commenting on the poll, a nationally representative survey of British adults by British Polling Council (BPC) member People Polling, Professor Matt Goodwin said: Both these numbers and the polls more broadly suggest that the Conservative Partys limited recovery that has been visible in the polls in recent weeks may have stalled. Only England and Wales jurisdiction apply in all legal matters. Instead, she has frozen record high fuel bills, but it is taxpayers, not business, who will face the burden of repaying the 150bn ($170bn) costs further down the road. Latest news, analysis and comment on French politics and beyond. BMG are members of the British Polling Council and abide by their rules. Labour holds a 10-point lead over the Conservatives as Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak attack each other in public but Sir Keir Starmers personal ratings have gone backwards. He also had the shameless Johnson and the Faragiste Tory press bursting to make trouble. But other Starmer allies dismissed the findings, claiming it was difficult to draw . He has become the voice of a new populist grassroots politics filling the void on the left created by Starmers all-too visible absence. The following polls asked about voters' opinions on Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK, formerly named Brexit Party, until 6 March 2021. 'A poll the other day had . Even some Tory rebels were baffled by Starmers performance, saying it had helped Johnson regain some stability after the confidence vote. He helped Labour raise 100 million from 1994 to 2007, before leaving when Blair resigned and he still has deep links to Britains private sector. Does Keir Starmer look like a Prime Minister in waiting? Date(s) Labour extended its lead nationally to 27%, the widest margin it has held since Sunak became PM in October, while also opening up a lead of 28% in the Red Wall (another record lead with Sunak as Prime Minister). The Socialist Campaign Group of MPs did not have the numbers to trigger a leadership election, let alone a candidate; Rayner had been one of theirs but she had compromised with the ideological enemy in the party. The next election is expected in 2024, but it could be sooner if Liz Truss's huge tax giveaway backfiresmore than it already has. Progressive politics is out in the cold. At a time of major problems in the NHSfrom backlogged waiting lists, to strikes by ambulance drivers, nurses and junior doctorsdominating many voters thoughts, voters in the Blue Wall (30%), the Red Wall (36%), and the country at large (44%) all notably select the NHS/Healthcare as the issue they most trust his party to deliver on. No Tory leader can simply declare the convulsions of the past seven years over, or announce that from now on, they will be competent and consensual. IT'S a genuine poll result . Page of 216. Voiced by artificial intelligence. However, while Labour has an overwhelming lead on every major poll as a party, the popularity battle between Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer is far tighter. The following polls asked about voters' opinions on Sin Berry and Jonathan Bartley, co-leaders of the Green Party from 4 September 2018 to 31 July 2021. Energy prices have begun to ease. GBNEWS. All rights reserved. It also helps that Starmer is the first Labour leader since Blair to do it himself he actually seems to enjoy fundraising.. Search. There is also majority support for helping the more than 600,000 people on benefits to have to meet with a work coach to help them back into the labour market. Levys return to the fold has also provided a big boost to Labours fundraising clout. Keir Starmers wait-it-out approach may finally be beginning to pay dividends, two and a half years after he was elected Labour leader. Johnsons poor approval ratings have improved slightly at -27, compared with -30 two weeks ago. First, it has suggested that Sunak is capable of rebuilding at least some of the reputation for Conservative competence. Only a minority of 2019 Conservative Party voters, 43%, back a Sunak-led Conservative government to manage the economy. More broadly, this will be central to boosting the nations productivity going forward. Starmer has refused to cash in on the most visible sign of growing public discontent at Tory policies that continue to redistribute wealth upwards. A government of which he was part had created the whole problem in the first place, of course, and one should never tire of saying so. He could hardly have been in a weaker position than he was when he took over as Tory leader in October. Keir Starmer. One month ago he was on -3 in the equivalent BMG poll and in June the number of people who were satisfied was the same as those dissatisfied. But the publics view of the the Labour leader himself appears to be becoming more negative, following weeks in which he has been accused of failing to be more forceful on the cost of living. Sir Keir had started to close the gap in April, pollsters Opimium said, but in a survey held on 13 and 14 May, he garnered just 23% support as preferred prime minister. No one was ever charged with any wrongdoing. Boris Johnson's opinion poll lead over Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer as the "best prime minister" for the UK evaporated on Monday, as Downing Street tried to stop the fuel crisis descending . Leadership approval ratings Rishi . Sorting the protocol was a sensible bit of ground-clearing and confidence-building. Rishi Sunak during prime ministers questions on Wednesday. . UK opposition leader Keir Starmer will pledge that a Labour government would boost public purchases of local food as he seeks to appeal to country's embattled farmers. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is trailing Boris Johnson as the British public's preferred prime minister by 17 percentage points, according to a new poll. Latest UK Opinion Polls: Government approval recent changes. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. After three years of near-destitution brought on by COVID-19, falling membership numbers and reduced union funding the party is now beginning to look cashed-up. Truss and her party have dealt him the easiest of hands, even if he continues to play it as cautiously as possible. Potential Tory rebels faced a pincer movement of private pressure at Westminster alongside assured ministerial actions on the national stage. Estimated Reading Time: 3-5 minutes. Data are weighted. Much as I detest Starmer and the current Labour Party he will likely win back the ugly racist Brexit gammons who voted Tory or Farage last election, he won't loose safe seats like mine, and he won't care if a few of the more comfortable and liberal Tory seats flip Lib Dem. Changes of this kind are not like electoral on-off switches. For one thing, the protocol deal may stumble. But dont underestimate this prime minister, either. Labour holds large leads over the Conservatives in each of our three tracker polls as the party most trusted on the economy, the NHS, and immigration. And, in a further nod to the business-friendly "New Labour" days of the 1990s and 2000s, he's even tapping Tony Blair's moneymen to fund his bid for power. After the loss of Hartlepool in a by-election in May and a clash with Angela Rayner, the deputy Labour leader, over the reshuffle that followed, he and his party seemed to suffer a crisis of confidence. More than six in ten (61%) of Rishi Sunaks voters support the measure, as do 57% of Labour voters, suggesting this policy will land well in the country as a whole. The MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark was hit with a five-day suspension today ( Friday, March 3 ), for his drunken, expletive-laden rants in Stranger's Bar last year . Major new Labour donor David Sainsbury gave more than 2 million at the end of last year, the latest figures confirm, after fleeing during the Corbyn years. March 2, 2023 10:16 am CET. In-depth reporting, data and actionable intelligence for policy professionals all in one place. Rishi Sunak branded Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer 'Mr 2nd Referendum' as he told the 1922 Committee of backbench Tories that the public are sick of Brexit 'drama'. Last modified on Thu 2 Mar 2023 08.43 EST. If Blairites are now on the rise once again in the Labour Party, what about the man himself? Despite the prime ministers problems, from the fall of Kabul to the defence of Owen Paterson, the myth of his personal invincibility seemed to persist. Shadow Cabinet ministers have been urged to attend as many dinners with prospective donors as possible, with the leaders office sometimes pairing ministers with wealthy individuals. I want our volunteers and staff to have the best pamphlets and resources and information possible, they said. Starmers office had not responded before publication of this article to a request for comment from Middle East Eye. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Instead, he has focused on reassuring voters - and the billionaire-owned media - that his party embodies the values associated with old-school conservatism: responsible belt-tightening, support for business, patriotism, law and order, the monarchy and militarism. The opinion polls have turned in the Labour leader's favour - vindicating his 'strategic patience'.