
Keir Starmer's ratings plunge to new record low after benefits shambles and Reeves' tears... with tax rise fears mounting
Just 18 per cent of Brits have a positive view of Sir Keir's performance in Downing Street, according to a poll.
In contrast the Opinium research found a massive 60 per cent disapproved - giving a grim net rating of minus 41 when figures were rounded. That is six points worse than seen at the end of June.
The dismal picture emerged as Sir Keir reels from a series of body blows, with fears that the economic situation is getting worse.
Speculation about looming tax hikes has reached fever pitch after he was forced to U-turn on proposals to curb spiralling disability and health handouts.
There were also extraordinary scenes as Rachel Reeves burst into tears at PMQs earlier this month. She has insisted it was down to a 'personal issue' rather than politics.
Pollsters and historians have suggested Sir Keir has endured the worst start of any premier, after he marked his first year in power.
Since racking up one of the biggest Commons majorities ever on July 4, the PM has seen Reform leapfrog Labour in voting intention.
The Opinium ratings for Sir Keir only marginally better than those seen for Boris Johnson immediately after the 'Partygate' furore.
Barely two in five Labour supporters from the 2024 election now regard him as doing a good job.
Meanwhile, Rachel Reeves had a net score of minus 39, with just 14 per cent approving of her performance.
James Crouch, head of policy and public affairs at Opinium, said Sir Keir was in a 'vulnerable position'.
'With the Chancellor's own ratings not far behind Starmer's, questions will only intensify about how Downing Street plan to dig themselves out of the hole they're now in,' he said.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
35 minutes ago
- The Independent
Bank of England could make cuts to interest rates if jobs market slows down, Bailey says
The Bank of England could make cuts to interest rates if the jobs market slows down, Andrew Bailey has said. Businesses are 'adjusting employment' as a result of Chancellor Rachel Reeves ' decision to raise national insurance contributions (NICs) for employers, the governor of the Bank also told The Times. Companies are 'also having pay rises that are possibly less than they would have been if the NICs change hadn't happened', Mr Bailey said. In an interview with the newspaper, the governor said the British economy was growing behind its potential. This could open up 'slack' to bring down inflation, he said, meaning prices on goods would rise less swiftly compared with earnings in future. Mr Bailey said he believes the base rate set by the Bank of England would be lowered in future, after it was held in June. The current Bank rate of 4.25 per cent which has a bearing on all lending in the UK – including mortgages – will be reviewed again on 7 August by the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee. 'I really do believe the path is downward,' Mr Bailey told The Times. He added: 'But we continue to use the words 'gradual and careful' because… some people say to me 'why are you cutting when inflation's above target?'' The governor's indication that lower lending rates and reduced inflation could be around the corner comes as the government is facing pressure to improve living standards. Ms Reeves's tax and spend plans are also being constrained by the current borrowing costs, as well as downgraded growth forecasts. The chancellor's fiscal headroom has been in part eroded by U-turns on the winter fuel payment and welfare reforms, as well as global shocks to the British economy. Some in the Labour Party, including former leader Lord Neil Kinnock and Wales's first minister Baroness Eluned Morgan, are calling for a wealth tax to help bolster the public finances. On Sunday, transport secretary Heidi Alexander said such a tax had not been 'directly' discussed when ministers held an away day at the end of last week. But speaking to Sky News' Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme, she would not rule out tax rises at the autumn budget, only saying tax decisions would be made based on 'fairness'.


The Guardian
35 minutes ago
- The Guardian
UK ministers urged to pass bill protecting DEI whistleblowers
Ministers have been urged to pass legislation that would protect whistleblowers who expose employers who flout forthcoming UK diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) laws. The equality (race and disability) bill, which the equalities minister Seema Malhotra has described as part of the government's 'absolute' commitment to DEI, is expected to be published this year. As law, the bill would compel employers with more than 250 staff to reveal whether white and non-disabled staff are paid more than Black, minority ethnic and disabled employees, in the same way that employers have to report gender pay gaps. It is also expected to establish an equal pay regulatory and enforcement unit to prevent pay discrimination and could compel employers to produce action plans on what they are doing to improve equality. Responses to the consultation, which is being used to shape the bill and closed in June, include proposals that legislation protects whistleblowers who report employers hiding pay gap information. The proposal is in stark contrast to what is unfolding in the US, where under Donald Trump's presidency, officials have urged 'private parties' to help them identify 'illegal' DEI programmes, including financial incentives for those who file whistleblower claims against federal contractors trying to tackle racial inequality. The UK whistleblower proposal has been made by the Black Equity Organisation (BEO) – whose founders in 2021 included the foreign secretary, David Lammy, and the broadcaster and academic David Olusoga. In partnership with Sky, BEO runs F100 Growth Fund, which supports Black entrepreneurs – who in the UK and the US account for less than 1% of venture capital investment – with funding and mentoring, and has been pressing ministers to 'tackle racial inequality at source' through pay gap reporting. In its submission to the government's consultation, the BEO said: 'Any final enforcement regime should include the ability to issue public notices, making public the names of companies who fail to submit their ethnicity pay gap reports. 'Support for whistleblowers is also essential', it added, and there should be 'a confidential channel for employees who report concerns to ensure they are not penalised.' The BEO also urged government to ensure pay gap data is fully disaggregated to reflect 'important differences in experiences and outcomes' between Black and minority ethnic groups, and called for mandatory pay gap reporting to be extended to employers with more than 50 staff, to cover lower-paid workers in smaller companies, which the TUC federation of trade unions has also called for. In its submission to the consultation, the TUC said: 'If the legislation is to be effective … it needs to apply to the majority of workplaces.' The new equality bill comes amid political backlash against fairness measures – represented by Reform UK and the conservative Blue Labour faction of the Labour party – inspired by Trump's attacks on DEI. In the US, measures trying to tackle racial inequality have been labelled 'discriminatory'. In May, a Department of Justice memo said the False Claims Act would be used against federal contractors 'knowingly engaging in racist preferences, mandates, policies, programs, and activities, including through diversity, equity, and inclusion programs that assign benefits or burdens on race, ethnicity, or national origin,' promising 'sharing in any monetary recovery' to whistleblowers who bring successful anti-DEI lawsuits. A UK government spokesperson said it was 'committed to introducing disability and ethnicity pay gap reporting into legislation in the king's speech. Our consultation on mandatory reporting has now closed and we are reviewing all of the responses'.


BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Bank of England prepared to cut rates if job market slows, says governor
The Bank of England is prepared to make larger interest rate cuts if the job market shows signs of slowing down, its governor has an interview with the Times, Andrew Bailey said "I really do believe the path is downward" on interest rates currently stand at 4.25% and will be reviewed at the Bank's next meeting on 7 August. They affect mortgage, credit card and savings rates for millions of people. In the Times interview, Bailey said there were consistent signs that businesses are "adjusting employment and hours" and are giving smaller pay rises following UK Chancellor Rachel Reeve's move to increase employers' national insurance contributions from raised national insurance rates for employers from 13.8% to 15% in April this year, in a move the government estimated would generate £25bn a said the UK's economy was growing behind its potential, opening up "slack" that would help to bring down inflation."I think the path [for interest rates] is down. I really do believe the path is downward," the governor said."But we continue to use the words 'gradual and careful' because... some people say to me 'why are you cutting when inflation's above target?"'Interest rates were held at 4.25% during the Bank's last meeting in June, following two cuts earlier in the that meeting, Bailey also said interest rates would take a "gradual downward path".The UK economy contracted by 0.1% in May, after also shrinking in April, according to the Office for National Statistics. The unexpected dip was mainly driven by a drop in manufacturing, while retail sales were also "very weak", said the Office. The UK's performance adds pressure on the government, which has made boosting economic growth a key priority.