Record breaker Starmer is ‘most unpopular PM since polling began’

According to the latest polling from Ipsos, Keir Starmer is the least popular PM on record.

🗳️ BREAKING | Starmer is now the most unpopular Prime Minister in history – WORSE than Truss

🔴 Starmer – 13% satisfied, 79% dissatisfied

🔵 Liz Truss – 16% satisfied, 67% dissatisfied

Via @Ipsos_in_the_UK, 11-17 Sep pic.twitter.com/ktfOVowwgf

— Stats for Lefties 🍉🏳️‍⚧️ (@LeftieStats) September 27, 2025

It follows several recent scandals which have driven speculation that a leadership challenge is incoming.

Fading fortunes for Starmer in polling

This historic moment follows a string of devastating polling results for Starmer and Labour:

🚨 MRP estimate | Reform to win decisive plurality

➡️ REF – 27% / 311 seats (+306)
🔴 LAB – 21% / 144 seats (-267)
🔵 CON – 17% / 45 seats (-76)
🟠 LD – 15% / 78 seats (+6)
🟢 GRN – 11% / 7 seats (+3)
🟡 SNP – 3% / 37 seats (+28)

Via @YouGov, 31 Aug – 24 Sep pic.twitter.com/nsJQUTbnzz

— Stats for Lefties 🍉🏳️‍⚧️ (@LeftieStats) September 26, 2025

🚨 #GE2029 POLL | Scottish Labour WIPEOUT

🟡 SNP – 30% (-1)
➡️ REF – 23% (+6)
🔴 LAB – 15% (-3)
🔵 CON – 10% (-2)
🟠 LD – 9% (-1)
🟢 GRN – 5% -2)

Via @FindoutnowUK, 15-21 Sep (+/- vs 15-20 Jan) pic.twitter.com/SxMRZd3dJ1

— Stats for Lefties 🍉🏳️‍⚧️ (@LeftieStats) September 23, 2025

It wouldn’t be impossible for a politician to turn this around, but few see Starmer as the sort of operator who could engineer such a revival. As a result of his many u-turns and betrayals, the public increasingly view him as a dishonest politician who will say anything in the moment – a man who cannot be trusted. It’s not just the public who see him this way, either, with members of his own party voicing their own unhappiness on his poor judgement.

While Boris Johnson and Donald Trump had a similar reputation around the truth, those men were able to push it through sheer force of personality. Starmer doesn’t seem to have any personality whatsoever, let alone one which he could use to force through his increasingly unpopular policy platform.

Like I wrote the other day, Keir Starmer has passed the point of no return. The Labour Party can spend the next week doing the dance if they like. But there is simply no coming back from figures like this. https://t.co/7dfzzujYin

— (((Dan Hodges))) (@DPJHodges) September 27, 2025

At this moment in time, Andy Burnham is seen as the man most likely to challenge Starmer for the leadership. As recent Ipsos polling suggests, he is one of five Labour politicians whose overall approval is greater than Starmer’s:

In a recent article, we highlighted that the Labour Party’s approval had dipped further following the scandal around Peter Mandelson and his “best pal”, the dead paedophile Jeffry Epstein. Analysing data from YouGov, we found that approval of Labour’s performance was

• Better than the crisis points before Theresa May and Liz Truss resigned.
• Equal to Rishi Sunak’s at the point when he lost the general election.
• Significantly worse than the lowest moments for David Cameron and Boris Johnson.

This latest polling shows that Starmer’s plan to turn things around isn’t working.

Policy problems

Ipsos has provided polling on Starmer’s Digital ID plans, showing a slim majority in favour:

7/ When you ask about digital ID – having presented the arguments for & against – we see a plurality in favour. 38% support / 32% oppose. Clear divisions by age and party lines.

My take is this policy can be sold but depends on details and how the politics play out. pic.twitter.com/1pmEuPo5Cu

— Keiran Pedley (@keiranpedley) September 25, 2025

Other polls have found a slim majority against:

Much like the Online Safety Act, you can only manufacture consent for ID card policies by talking about them in generalised vague terms. Once you start discussing specific details, people are repulsed.

— Stats for Lefties 🍉🏳️‍⚧️ (@LeftieStats) September 26, 2025

As Keiran Pedley notes, a politician could ‘sell’ this policy given those slim margins. The problem for Labour will be Starmer and his historically low approval ratings. In addition to this, every other party is opposing Digital ID. This means there’s potential for Starmer’s unpopularity to radicalise people against the policy, and for shifting opinions on Digital ID to further worsen Starmer’s favourability.

We can’t say how bad Starmer’s approval ratings will get, but we can say this; it’s going to be difficult for anyone to challenge the record he’s now set. God help us all if this isn’t the most unpopular PM of our lifetimes.

Featured image via Heute (license details)