Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s approval rating has plunged to one of the lowest levels among Western leaders, according to a new YouGov survey. Only 22% of Britons view him favourably, while 69% hold an unfavourable opinion, giving a net rating of -47%. This places him second only to French President Emmanuel Macron, who has a net favourability of -55%.
The poll, conducted in late August before a cabinet reshuffle triggered by Angela Rayner’s resignation, shows Starmer’s popularity is significantly worse than other European counterparts. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stands at -22%, Spain’s Pedro Sánchez at -31%, and even US President Donald Trump, despite his turbulent second term, has a net favourability of -12%.
Labour’s polling has fallen dramatically since the 2024 general election, dropping from 37.5% in July 2024 to 23.3% in June 2025—a decline of 14.2 points in 11 months. This is the steepest first-year drop for any governing party since records began in 1983, surpassing the 9.8-point fall experienced by John Major’s Conservatives in 1992.
The collapse in support has propelled Reform UK to the top of the polls, with Nigel Farage’s party now backed by around 30% of voters. However, a deeper analysis reveals that Starmer is losing support on both flanks: 14% of 2024 Labour voters now intend to vote for Reform or the Conservatives, while 26% are defecting to left-leaning parties—13% to the Liberal Democrats, 10% to the Greens, and 3% to nationalist parties.
The rise of Jeremy Corbyn’s breakaway party, Your party, could exacerbate the leftward exodus. An Ipsos survey suggests a fifth of Britons would consider voting for it, rising to a third among Labour voters. Despite this, some in Starmer’s team argue that without his rightward shift on immigration and asylum, defections to Reform and the Tories could be even higher.
