British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s approval ratings have fallen to a record low amid increasing dissatisfaction with his government’s handling of key issues like the economy and immigration.
A survey from YouGov has found that an all-time low of 18 per cent of the British public have a favourable view of Prime Minister Starmer, compared to 72 per cent who hold a negative view of the Labour Party leader, good for a negative 54 rating, the Daily Mail reported.
The picture is even more bleak for Starmer’s finance chief, Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who has come under heavy criticism and faced accusations of lying to the public about the supposed “black hole” in the nation’s finances to justify tax hikes to pay for welfare and migrant spending.
According to the survey, a mere 12 per cent of voters hold a favourable opinion of Reeves, with 71 per cent holding a negative view. This puts her at a net rating of negative 59, the worst of her tenure in the top post at the Treasury.
The polling firm continued to show strong support for Brexit leader Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, holding a 28 per cent to 18 per cent edge over the governing Labour Party.
Meanwhile, the far-left Greens and the so-called Conservative Party are tied at 17 per cent, with the traditional party of government continuing to struggle to regain support after its historic collapse last year and the Greens surging under the new leadership of Zack Polanski.
The continued poor showing for Prime Minister Starmer comes amid increasing speculation over whether a potential palace coup from within the Labour Party could see him ousted as leader.
While several names have been floated around Westminster, including Health Secretary Wes Streeting and former Deputy PM Angela Rayner — who was ousted earlier this year from her cabinet post as Housing Secretary after she failed to pay her full property taxes on her third residence — the most prominent contender has been Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
Although Burnham was a longtime creature of the establishment, having served under both former PMs Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, he has since recast himself as a supposed man of the people and self-styled “King of the North”.
Burnham, who previously ran for Labour leadership but lost out to far-left socialist Jeremy Corbyn, has openly discussed his desire to make another crack at winning the top job. Yet, the Manchester Mayor would need to secure a seat in the parliament first before he makes a run at Starmer.
Reports emerged over the weekend that Burnham may be close to securing a deal to have a sitting Labour MP in a safe constituency step down and allow him to run for the open seat.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, an unnamed Labour MP who supports a Burnham coup said: “It’s happening. We are on the brink of securing a seat which is likely to come free shortly and where the polls say Andy would beat Reform.”
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