Starmer Urges Patience From UK Voters After Popularity Drops

Alex Wickham
·3-min read

(Bloomberg) -- Keir Starmer promised Britons they would feel better off by the time of the next general election, as the UK prime minister called for patience after a series of contentious decisions saw his poll ratings decline.

Most Read from Bloomberg

“The country will be materially better off,” Starmer told reporters on a trip to Washington for talks with US President Joe Biden on Friday. People will feel it “in their pockets, their health, the opportunities for them and their families,” he said, adding: “I’ll be judged where the time comes for the next election as to whether I’ve delivered my promises or not.”

The comments come after several surveys show what Starmer called “painful” decisions taken early in his administration — including scaling back winter energy support for pensioners — had damaged his popularity just weeks after he led the Labour Party to a landslide general election victory.

Listen to the Bloomberg UK Politics podcast on Apple, Spotify or anywhere you listen.

A poll by Ipsos published Friday found that 46% of Britons had an unfavorable view of Starmer, up eight percentage points since a month ago, a level that matches his worst rating since becoming Labour leader in 2021.

A voting intention survey by the More in Common think tank showed support for Labour at 29%, down six percentage points since the general election. The party’s lead over the Conservatives was had shrunk to 4 percentage points.

Ahead of the July 4 vote, pollsters warned that voters’ determination to oust the Tories after 14 years could give way to dissatisfaction with Labour if the government couldn’t deliver improvements soon after taking office — even if polls also show Britons do acknowledge the scale of the country’s challenges.

Having campaigned on a promise of change, Starmer’s administration has used its early weeks to set out the case for the “tough” decisions the prime minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves say they have been forced to take due to their economic inheritance from the Tories.

That includes a £22 billion black hole in the government’s fiscal plans that Reeves said must be fixed at her first budget on Oct. 30.

Senior Labour aides say the strategy of getting bad news out of the way first will clear the path for more optimistic messaging in the run-up to the next election, due in 2029. That timing suggests Starmer is unlikely to raise alarm bells just yet, given the opportunity for Labour to shift the narrative.

But the polls underscore how the mood music around the new government has shifted, and that is already making the politics harder for Starmer. The plan to cut the winter fuel benefit triggered a rebellion by Labour MPs in Parliament, while the government’s decision to approve the early release of prisoners to reduce overcrowding in jails also triggered negative headlines.

This week, Starmer gave a speech outlining that his plans to overhaul the struggling National Health Service would take a decade — requiring a Labour to win a second term in power. It was the same message speaking to reporters on Friday, warning things would take time to get better.

“It’s been cast as doom and gloom, and I get that,” the premier said, repeating a phrase Labour ministers and officials have used privately to criticize Starmer’s communications strategy since taking office, as reported by Bloomberg.

“It is important to understand that what we’re doing is ensuring we’re in a position to make that transformation, which is a very good news story,” Starmer told reporters, adding: “I’ve always said this will take time.”

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

©2024 Bloomberg L.P.

Latest stories