Keir Starmer struggles deeply during his first 2 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Voters widely view his Labour Party as completely unelectable. This harsh opinion does not change even if the party finds someone else to take over the leadership role.
Public First recently ran The POLITICO Poll to measure public opinion. The researchers asked more than 2,000 people across the country about their political views. The survey took place right after the ruling party suffered heavy losses in local elections last week. The final results paint a very dark picture for Starmer as he tries to hold onto his job.
The numbers reveal massive public disappointment. Only 6 percent of voters believe the Labour Party changed the country for the better as much as they originally hoped. Another 31 percent think Starmer moved the country in the right direction but simply did not do enough. Meanwhile, a massive 56 percent state that Labour either failed to change anything since winning power in 2024 or made the country actively worse.
People simply do not see Labour keeping its power. Exactly 53 percent of the people surveyed say the party has absolutely no realistic chance of winning the next general election. The voters feel the Labour brand holds no future value.
On the other side of the political field, Nigel Farage and his nationalist Reform UK party enjoy a massive wave of public support. Farage holds much higher popularity ratings than Starmer. A strong 65 percent of the public now believes Reform has a real chance of winning national power. They see Farage’s group as a serious political force.
Seb Wride works as the head of polling at Public First. He explained that Labour ran its 2024 campaign on a loud promise of change. However, very few voters feel the government actually delivered that change. Wride noted this failure opened a huge door for Reform UK to steal the change narrative and use it for themselves.
Starmer faces terrible pressure from inside his own political house. Members of his own party want to force him out of Downing Street. He barely survived months of political scandals and clumsy mistakes. Last week, Labour suffered terrible defeats in local council elections across England, Scotland, and Wales. Now, angry colleagues actively plot to replace him as soon as possible.
Finding a new leader might not save Labour anyway. The survey reveals serious damage to the party’s image. Just 21 percent of voters think Labour can recover its strength with Starmer still in charge. About 30 percent believe the party has only a chance if it fires the prime minister. More alarmingly for the government, 38 percent say Labour will fail to win back voters even if they replace Starmer entirely.
The polling numbers show Reform beating Labour on almost every major national issue. When surveyors asked people in England who would do the best job fixing the cost of living, Reform won 27 percent to 23 percent. For dealing with crime, Reform crushed Labour by winning 34 percent to 23 percent. Voters also trust Reform more with the general economy, giving them a narrow win of 25 percent against 23 percent for Labour.
The gap grows even larger in border control. Reform holds a massive lead on tackling illegal immigration, destroying Labour 48 percent to 19 percent. Reform also beats Labour on international relations. Voters prefer Reform over Labour by 28 percent to 26 percent for handling the Iran crisis. People also trust Reform more to deal with United States President Donald Trump, leading Labour 34 percent to 25 percent.
These new numbers show a shocking reversal from just 2 years ago. Back in May 2024, exactly 2 months before Labour won the national election, Starmer easily beat Farage on the same issues. Labour led Reform 42 percent to 8 percent on the cost of living. Labour also dominated on crime, 36 percent to 10 percent, and on immigration, 35 percent to 16 percent.
Wride points out how much the political world has changed in such a short time. He remembers when experts dismissed Reform as a simple protest vote before the 2024 election. Now, 2 years later, they sweep local elections and dominate national polls on the most important issues. Farage and his team successfully transformed into the most credible party on the political right.
