Voters believe Sir Keir Starmer is the worst prime minister in modern history after five months in the job, a damning poll for the Mail has found.
A whopping six in ten (61 per cent) people said they were ‘dissatisfied’ with the PM’s track record — including more than a third (39 per cent) of Labour supporters.
Just one in four (27 per cent) of all voters said they were ‘satisfied’ with Sir Keir’s performance since Labour stormed to power in July.
And barely half (54 per cent) of Labour’s own voters said they were satisfied.
It gives Sir Keir a ‘net satisfaction’ rating of -34 in the survey by Ipsos, which has been tracking the popularity of new PMs since Margaret Thatcher‘s tenure.
The second most unpopular premier after five months was Gordon Brown (-23) in 2007, followed by Rishi Sunak (-22) in 2023.The most popular was Sir Tony Blair (+57) in 1997, followed by Sir John Major (+33) in 1991.
Confidence in the economy under Sir Keir is also the second-worst, the poll discovered. Just 15 per cent believe it will improve over the next year.
By contrast, nearly two-thirds (65 per cent) think it will get worse. It gives Sir Keir a ‘net optimism’ rating of -49 on the economy.
Voters believe Sir Keir Starmer is the worst prime minister in modern history after five months in the job, a damning poll for the Mail has found
The only PM to score worse was Mrs Thatcher (-52) in 1979.However, she inherited already soaring inflation rates of more than 15 per cent from her Labour predecessors James Callaghan and Harold Wilson, which she eventually wrestled down to less than 5 per cent by the mid-80s.
By contrast, Sir Keir inherited a growing economy with inflation at around just 2 per cent.
The Ipsos survey also found that seven in ten (70 per cent) people are ‘dissatisfied’ with the way the Government as a whole is running the country.
The findings are a major blow for Sir Keir, whose beleaguered premiership has been repeatedly rocked by scandals and backlashes against his policies.
Rumours have even been swirling in Westminster that he could be toppled as leader if his dire poll ratings fail to improve and the party does badly in May’s local elections.
Among the scandals which sparked the biggest backlash was the row over freebies after it emerged he accepted more than £35,000-worth of clothes and glasses for him and his wife from party grandee Lord Alli.
The Labour peer also allowed Sir Keir and his family to stay in his £18million central London penthouse during the election campaign — a donation worth £20,000.Shortly after the election it emerged Lord Alli was given a rare Downing Street pass allowing him to come and go as he pleased, sparking ‘cash for passes’ accusations.
Rishi Sunak (pictured delivering a speech calling for the General Election in July) was voted third most unpopular
The second most unpopular premier after five months was Gordon Brown (-23) in 2007
In October, Sir Keir was forced to effectively sack his chief of staff Sue Gray amid squabbling in No 10 over who was to blame for Labour’s poor start.
There have also been furious backlashes against releasing thousands of prisoners early, hiking university tuition fees, stripping 10 million pensioners of their winter fuel payments and handing inflation-busting pay hikes to rail union barons.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ first Budget in October, which contained a £35billion tax bomb, including the controversial ‘family farm’ tax and a hike in National Insurance on businesses, was also received badly.
Nearly two weeks ago, Sir Keir tried to reset his faltering premiership with the launch of a ‘Plan for Change’ which contained new targets on education and the NHS.
But it was widely criticised because it failed to say anything about immigration and the small boats crisis or how the Government plans to get soaring numbers of people off welfare and into work.
It was also overshadowed by figures last week showing the economy shrunk by 0.1 per cent in October — the second month in a row.
During the first two quarters of 2024, when the Tories were in charge, the economy grew by 0.7 per cent and 0.5 per cent respectively.
The only PM to score worse than Keir was Margaret Thatcher (-52) in 1979
The Ipsos poll also suggests that new Tory leader Kemi Badenoch needs more time to make an impact, with 47 per cent of voters saying they ‘didn’t know’ whether they were satisfied with her performance.
A total of 19 per cent said they were ‘satisfied’ while 34 per cent said they were ‘dissatisfied’.
But among Tory voters 43 per cent were ‘satisfied’ and 14 per cent ‘dissatisfied’.
Ipsos surveyed 1,028 voters between November 27 and December 4.
The poll findings came ahead of a speech today by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch in which she will say that Labour’s tax bomb Budget has been ‘devastating’.
Speaking of Sir Keir and Chancellor Rachel Reeves, she will add: ‘They claimed taxes wouldn’t need to rise to spend more on public services.
‘Then, within weeks of taking office, they unleashed the worst raid on family business in living memory.
‘They promised to get growth going. Instead, growth is going backwards.
‘Keir Starmer’s decisions will drain investment and growth out of the British economy.
‘And no one is safe. Businesses small and Large. Rural and Urban.’