Almost half of voters are ‘doubting Labour’s honesty’ – London Business News | Londonlovesbusiness.com

With Parliament returning from recess next week, Opinium’s latest poll finds that the Prime Minister and the Labour Government have their work cut out to prove to the public they can handle the challenges ahead.

More than half (51%) are pessimistic about Labour will successfully tackle the challenges facing the UK, with only a third (33%) feeling optimistic.

While 71% of those who voted for Labour feel positive, over a fifth (21%) are also pessimistic.

Despite this, Labour is still seen as the best bet for the UK’s challenges, with 35% believing the party has proven to be the most likely option to successfully tackle the challenges facing the UK over the next 5 years.  Just 16% think a re-elected Conservative government would have been better, while 33% think neither of them.

Starmer approval rating drops again

In the last fortnight, Keir Starmer’s net approval rating has dropped to -13% (down from -7% a fortnight ago). This is just one percentage point higher than his lowest ever ratings of -14% two years ago.

Currently his best net ratings are “being competent” (+3), “decisive” (+2) and “getting things done” (+2). However, his worst scores are “having similar views to mine” (-22), “representing what most people think” (-17) and “being in touch with ordinary people” (-14).

He has seen the biggest improvement on being decisive since the election (with his net score rising from -2 to +2), however, other metrics have plummeted including being “in touch with people” (dropping from +4 to -14), “representing what most people think” (+1 to -17) and “being trustworthy (-3 to -11).

A painful budget might be necessary, but it’s seen as unfair

Two in five (39%) think the “painful” budget Keir Starmer is talking about his necessary, while 34% think it is not.  However, 50% think the Labour Party’s decisions about where to save money and where to raise additional tax revenue are going to be unfair, while only 21% think it will be fair.

 Looking at other policy decisions, 55% think the two-child benefit limit should stay, compared to 26% who want to abolish it. Among Labour voters, 52% believe the limit should stay while 31% think it should be abolished. Just under half (49%) want to keep Winter Fuel Payment as a universal benefit, whereas 37% think it should be means tested as proposed by the Chancellor. Among Labour voters, 52% agree it should be means tested.  

James Crouch, head of policy and public affairs at Opinium said, “While the public blames the previous government for the UK’s current challenges, over half (51%) are pessimistic about the new government’s chances of success.

“The government should also take heed that concerns about fairness and transparency are growing, with nearly half of voters doubting Labour’s honesty during the election campaign and fearing that the upcoming budget will be unfair.”