Voters now prefer Ed Davey to Starmer, poll shows
Voters now prefer Sir Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, to Sir Keir Starmer, a poll has found.
The results of the YouGov survey, published on Friday, revealed that the Prime Minister's popularity had fallen to its lowest-ever level following a series of controversies, including decisions to cut benefits and raise taxes.
The poll, of 2,171 adults, found the Labour leader had a net favourability rating of -46.
Some 69 per cent of respondents said they had an unfavourable view of Sir Keir, while 23 per cent had a positive opinion.
The Prime Minister's popularity ratings have, on average, been steadily declining since last year's general election, although he did receive a poll boost after visiting Donald Trump, the US president, at the White House in February.
Sir Ed, who has led the Lib Dems since 2020, is now more popular with a net favourability rating of -8, while Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative Party leader, had a rating of -39.
Nigel Farage scored -27. The poll found 32 per cent of voters had a positive opinion of the Reform UK leader, while 59 per cent said they did not.
The numbers will make grim reading for Downing Street, with the Prime Minister and his team still reeling from a series of disastrous results for Labour in the local elections earlier this month.
The poll also found that just 59 per cent of people who voted Labour last July now have a positive opinion of the party, down seven points in the last month. Even fewer Labour voters have a favourable view of Sir Keir.
Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, and Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, also recorded their worst-ever approval ratings in the survey.
YouGov said the Tories were also struggling to maintain support, with just 71 per cent of 2024 Tory voters saying they had a positive view of the party.
In contrast, 84 per cent of Lib Dem voters and 94 per cent of Reform voters said they still had a favourable view of the parties.
Both made gains at the expense of Labour and the Conservatives in May's local elections. Reform picked up ten councils and a new MP, while Labour lost the only council it controlled in the regions where voting took place.
Earlier this week, Electoral Calculus, a polling firm, published research that suggested Labour would lose 59 MPs to Reform if a general election was held in the same areas.
The YouGov poll also found that, excluding Reform voters, Mr Farage is most popular with 2024 Conservative voters, with a net favourability rating of +5.
A Lib Dem source said: 'Ed's the only party leader with a plan to fix health and social care and the only leader saying we should stand up to Donald Trump.
'When Westminster is full of politicians cosying up to Elon Musk from the Reform bench – or trying to take away your winter fuel payment from their office in Downing Street – it's no wonder Ed's bests both Farage and the PM when it comes to popularity.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News
13 minutes ago
- Sky News
Foreign Secretary David Lammy in Gibraltar as negotiations over post-Brexit deal with Spain heat up
Foreign Secretary David Lammy is in Gibraltar ahead of a potential post-Brexit deal with Spain. Ever since the UK left the EU, the situation in the British Overseas Territory has been up in the air, with London, Madrid and Gibraltar all engaged in negotiations on a path forward. Spain disputes the UK's ownership of the territory, which is located on the south of the Iberian peninsular opposite North Africa. Known for its strategic importance at the entrance to the Mediterranean, Gibraltar is also home to an RAF base. Mr Lammy arrived in Gibraltar overnight on a ministerial plane. A government spokesperson told Sky News last night: "The foreign secretary is in Gibraltar to meet chief minister Fabian Picardo to discuss the latest on negotiations, as all sides look to conclude an agreement as soon as possible." It is possible a deal could be announced in Brussels at some point in the future. Foreign secretaries visiting Gibraltar is unusual, with the last official visit appearing to have been from Dominic Raab in March 2021. Mr Picardo was in London last week to discuss negotiations with UK ministers. Local media has reported that a deal could be announced "imminently". Earlier on Tuesday, the EU proposed removing Gibraltar from its list of "high risk third countries" when it comes to money laundering. If a deal is announced on Wednesday, it would coincide with the UK government's spending review. Any agreement would be closely scrutinised by eurosceptics in Reform and the Conservative Party, who have criticised Sir Keir Starmer's EU reset deal and the handing over of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. How to deal with border crossings A bespoke agreement on Gibraltar - which was captured by the UK in the early 18th century - was required after Brexit as Spain objected to it being included in the EU wide negotiations. Since the UK left the EU, a reciprocal agreement to not stamp passports has been in place on both sides of border for Gibraltar residents entering Spain and Spaniards travelling the other way. However, all sides have wanted to get a proper deal in place before the EU's new entry/exit system comes into place, which is now slated for October this year - despite it being delayed multiple times. In proposals made in 2021, the EU said it wanted to see Spanish authorities get extensive powers over immigration into Gibraltar from outside the Schengen free movement area, with EU institutions given the power to enforce the relevant laws in the territory. Both the UK and Gibraltar have opposed such an extensive presence, and amended proposals were made. The previous Conservative government and current Labour administration have said they would not agree to any deal that handed Gibraltar over to another state, or one that Gibraltar was not happy with. In September last year, Mr Lammy and Mr Picardo met in London. The foreign secretary said afterwards he "reaffirmed our support to them in all eventualities and reiterated that we will only agree to terms that Gibraltar is content with". Since Labour took power just under a year ago, negotiations have continued. In October, Mr Picardo said proposals had been made that "guarantee the safety and security of the Schengen Area and the integrity of the single market". Last month, EU council chief Antonia Costa said the sides were "not very far" from finishing a deal.
Reuters
21 minutes ago
- Reuters
Poland's Tusk seeks fresh start after presidential election blow
WARSAW, June 11 (Reuters) - A vote of confidence in Poland's government will take place on Wednesday, as Prime Minister Donald Tusk seeks to regain the initiative for his ruling pro-European coalition after it was shaken by a presidential election defeat. Rafal Trzaskowski from Tusk's Civic Coalition was defeated by nationalist Karol Nawrocki in the June 1 ballot, unleashing recriminations from smaller partners in government and casting doubt over the administration's future when a hostile president wields the power of veto. While the ruling alliance's majority means it is almost certain to win Wednesday's vote, a SW Research poll for Rzeczpospolita daily showed that around a third of Poles thought Tusk's government would not survive until the end of its term in 2027. Tusk will present his government's plan of action to parliament. A debate will then take place before the vote is held in the afternoon. Analysts say that many voters are disillusioned with the government's failure to deliver on promises including liberalising abortion laws, reforming the judiciary and raising the tax-free limit. President Andrzej Duda, an ally of the nationalist Law and Justice party, known as PiS, that backed Nawrocki, has stymied elements of the government's programme that aim to roll back PiS reforms that the European Union said undermined judicial independence. The government had hoped for a Trzaskowski victory that would give it the freedom to fully implement its agenda. Critics say that since it took office in December 2023, Tusk's government has done too little to implement change, with initiatives put on hold in the ultimately futile hope that a sympathetic president would be elected. It was against this background, and with voices in smaller coalition parties and normally sympathetic media outlets raising questions about his leadership, that Tusk called the vote of confidence. "This vote of confidence is not an attempt to continue everything we have been doing because we know well after this year and a half that some things can be done better, faster and this vote of confidence should be a new beginning," he told a government meeting. "I would like you to know that for the entire... coalition, this is to be a day of new momentum and I am convinced that you will live up to this task." After the vote of confidence, Tusk has said there will be a government reshuffle, which is likely to be in July. Meanwhile, members of the administration say that their coalition agreement will also need to be renegotiated, a process that could lead to conflict. PiS has relished the situation. Party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski proposed that a "technical government" made up of experts should be put in place immediately to restore calm. Former justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro, the architect of the judicial reforms Tusk's government has sought to overhaul, was more direct. "The lost presidential election is the end of Donald Tusk," he told reporters. "His fate is already sealed."
BBC News
25 minutes ago
- BBC News
Reeves expected to boost NHS and defence budgets in Spending Review as other services face cuts
Update: Date: 05:04 BST Title: A big day for government budgets - and Chancellor Rachel Reeves Content: Emily AtkinsonLive editor Today, Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivers her Spending Review - which outlines how much taxpayer money government departments and public services will have to spend over the next few years. We already have an idea of who the winners and losers might be. There are suggestions of an extra £30bn for the NHS, and it was announced last month that defence spending would rise to 2.5% of national income by 2027. According to some reports, other areas - including policing and farming - are preparing for a further squeeze, however. Today's review is not a Budget, so don't expect announcements on tax changes. But we will get an idea of how much government has to spend. Reeves is due in the House of Commons at 12:30 BST, just after the weekly session of Prime Minister's Questions. In the lead up, we'll walk you through how today will work, and what the review means for you and your money. A busy day - and it's just getting started.
