Starmer’s approval rating tanks to new low
Keir Starmer’s approval rating has cratered to an unprecedented low as voters turned against the Prime Minister in the aftermath of the Budget.
Morning Wire/Freshwater Strategy polling has shown Starmer’s approval rating dropping to a score of -47, trailing well behind Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and Reform UK’s Nigel Farage.
The figure is the lowest on record for the Prime Minister, representing a further drop from a previous historic low of -45 last month.
Both major opposition leaders enjoyed a small bounce in their approval ratings in national-level polling.
Badenoch’s approval ratings jumped from -15 in November to -8 in December while Farage crept up from -13 to -12.
In head-to-head polling, both Farage and Badenoch are preferred to Starmer as Prime Minister.
Badenoch beats Farage
Against each other, Badenoch beats Farage by four points as 40 per cent of voters backed the Conservative leader over the Reform figurehead.
Some 19 per cent of respondents in the nationally representative poll said they were either unsure or that they would back neither candidate in a choice between the two right-leaning politicians.
Fresh polling points to the Conservatives’ relative success in clawing back support among the electorate after punchy performances from Badenoch against Starmer in Prime Minister’s Questions.
The key parliamentary event has featured showdowns on relations with China, the state of the UK economy, and his control over the Cabinet in recent weeks.
Badenoch’s response to Rachel Reeves’ statement saw the Tory leader take a more personal attack on the Chancellor for unveiling a “Budget for benefits street” amid £26bn in tax rises to fund extra welfare spending.
Starmer approval ratings behind other party leaders
In overall polling, however, Reform UK still led the Tories by a significant amount.
Farage’s party stood on 31 per cent of the voter share, a slight loss on last month’s polling while the Conservatives and Labour are on 20 per cent and 19 per cent respectively.
The party to enjoy the biggest upswing in voter share was the Liberal Democrats, which took up 15 per cent of the voter share, while the Green Party trailed on 12 per cent.
In terms of approval ratings for key leaders other than Starmer, shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick was tied with Badenoch at -8 while Green Party leader Zack Polanski and Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey were each on -5.
Voters in the poll also widely agreed (69 per cent) that a General Election should be called if Starmer were to resign as Labour leader, heightening the pressure on the Prime Minister as he is predicted to face sweeping defeats at crucial local council elections in May 2026.
Over half of Labour voters (51 per cent) agreed that parliamentary elections should be called if Starmer were to resign in the new year.
Method note: Freshwater Strategy interviewed n=1,558 eligible voters in the UK, aged 18+ online, between 28 – 30 November 2025. Margin of Error +/- 2.5%. Data are weighted to be representative of UK voters. Freshwater Strategy are members of the British Polling Council and abide by their rules.