On a cold January morning in Manchester’s Gorton and Denton constituency, a sixtysomething man nursing tea in a covered market summed up the mood: “I really don’t like him at all.” When pressed on why he disliked Prime Minister Keir Starmer, he could not explain, his face scrunched in scepticism. Another voter offered: “He hasn’t done what he said he’d do.” This blankness—Starmer’s lack of clarity and coherent narrative—appears to fuel widespread antipathy, according to voters and analysts.
By late 2025, Ipsos recorded Starmer’s approval rating at -66, the lowest for any prime minister since the pollster began tracking. Even Liz Truss avoided such depths. The chant “Keir Starmer’s a wanker” echoed at football stadiums and the world darts championships. Focus groups described him as a “jellyfish” and “doormat”. Luke Tryl of More In Common admitted: “I can normally understand where the public are coming from, but I admit this is surprising.”
Starmer’s resignation speech on Monday spoke of rescuing a “politically, financially and morally bankrupt” party and building a fairer country. Yet voters across the country distilled his record to one act: cutting pensioners’ winter fuel allowances just weeks after the 2024 election. This was compounded by “freebiegate”—Labour figures accepting Taylor Swift tickets, free clothes, and a £240 pair of glasses donated by Labour peer Waheed Alli.
The stench of scandal lingered alongside U-turns on welfare reform, farmers’ inheritance tax, business rates for pubs, and a national grooming gangs inquiry. Starmer also reversed rhetoric: in May 2025 he said immigration risked making Britain “an island of strangers”, only to express regret 46 days later. Critics see the entire Starmer project as a giant volte-face from his leftwing 10-point pledge to Labour members, which included nationalisations and migrants’ rights.
