Labor force hits new record lows in various indicators
2025 has finally arrived, but Brits are divided on what the year ahead will look like. A Times poll in mid-December found that 31% of Brits said they were optimistic about the year ahead, 37% were pessimistic and 28% were “neutral”.
The start of this year roughly coincides with the six-month anniversary of Labor’s election victory. In this article, we have compiled a selection of new data from December to show where British public opinion stands as we enter the new year.
Likeability – Keir Starmer hits rock bottom
A poll conducted by The Times in mid-December found that Keir Starmer’s online favorability rating had fallen (again) to an all-time low of -41. Two-thirds of Brits have a negative view of the Prime Minister (66%), while only a quarter (25%) have a positive view.
A majority of Labor voters (57%) still have a favorable opinion of the leader, but this is a significant drop from 87% immediately after the general election. More than a third (36%) of Labor voters now have a negative view of Starmer.
For Kemi Badenoch, meanwhile, familiarity breeds contempt, and the more famous the new Conservative Party leader becomes, the more unpopular he becomes. In early November, 39% of Britons said they did not know enough about Badenoch to form an opinion, but among the rest her net score amounted to -20. Fast forward to mid-December, and fewer people (33%) don’t know about the Conservative Party leader, but her net favorability rating has fallen to -31.
In contrast, Nigel Farage sees his favorability figures as fairly consistent, with 28% of Britons having a favorable view of the reforming UK leader. 62% have an unfavorable view, giving it an online rating of -34.
Mr Farage is currently the Conservative party’s big bogeyman, and there are fears the party could lose more voters to the rebel group Reform Britain. Those with such concerns will be worried to see that 45% of Tory voters in 2024 have a favorable view of the Reform UK leader, but for the time being it remains This is not as high as his 55%.
There is little attraction in the opposite direction. The percentage of British Reform Party voters who say they have a positive opinion of the new Conservative Party leader is a strikingly low 35%.
Government approval – Labor reaches lowest score ever
The unpopularity of the government he presides over is at an all-time high, as is the Prime Minister’s personal approval rating. In the December 21-23 poll, more than six in 10 Britons (62%) said they disapproved of the government’s record so far, compared to just 17% who supported it. This number remained unchanged in the latest poll from December 28-30.
Even Labor voters are currently divided on their elected government, with 38% having a negative view and 34% having a positive view.
Indeed, almost half (46%) of Labor voters said in a Times poll in mid-December that they had hoped for Labor to do well but were disappointed. Only 28% of people think they are doing well, but this number drops to 10% among the general public.
The most important issue facing this country
The economy remains at the top of people’s concerns, with 52% of Britons including it on their list of the top three issues facing the country. Immigration is second at 46%, and health is third at 40%.
As always, concerns vary widely among voters. The economy and health are equally likely to be top concerns for Labor voters (55% and 53%), while immigration comes in a distant third at 28%. By contrast, immigration is clearly an important issue for Conservative voters, with 71% citing it as their top concern, followed by the economy in second place with 59% and health in third place with 33%. There is.
Economy – Confidence in the Labor Party declines further, especially among Labor supporters
Approval ratings for Labour’s performance, both on inflation and the broader economy, have once again hit new lows. Currently, two-thirds say the government is not doing enough to combat inflation (68%), and 71% say the same is true of the economy as a whole.
Among Labor voters, there was a marked increase in negative opinions about the government’s performance on most issues at the end of December, with attitudes towards economic performance clearly declining.
For example, in early and mid-December Labor voters were roughly even on the government’s response to inflation, but by late December the gap had widened considerably, with 49% now saying Labor was doing a good job dealing with the issue. While 30% of respondents said the Labor Party was responding well, 30% said they were responding well.
The same story plays out regarding the broader economy. Since the split in early and mid-December, there is now an almost 20-point difference among Labor voters who think the government is not handling the economy well (51%) (32%). %).
In a comparative question format, Labor has similarly failed to outperform its rival party, which was ousted from power by the public just six months ago.
When it comes to whether Keir Starmer’s Labor government or Kemi Badenoch’s Conservative government is better at managing the economy, the two parties are roughly equal, with 23% scoring for the former and 24% for the latter.
Similarly, on price containment, Labor and Conservative options were again equal at 19% and 20% respectively.
And when it comes to “improving living standards for people like you” (a pledge Mr Starmer has set out as one of his government’s six goals), the results are once again almost even, with 22% giving Labour. They think the government is better, with 20% believing the Conservatives are better. government.
At least Labor continues to lead the Conservatives in supporting people onto the housing ladder, providing more jobs and reducing the number of people in poverty.
Immigration – dissatisfaction rises to new heights
Dissatisfaction with immigrants has reached its highest level since the survey began in 2019. The poll, conducted between December 21 and 23, found that 70% of Britons say there have been too many immigrants to the UK in the past 10 years, including 50%. Many people say it’s too expensive.
Only 15% say immigration levels are “about right,” and just 3% say they are too low.
Similarly, the number of Brits who say immigration over the past decade has been “mostly bad for the country” now stands at 43%, also the highest percentage ever. Only 18% of people currently believe that immigration has generally been good over the past 10 years.
This represents a major change since the Tracker series began in the summer of 2019. At the time, an equal number of people said immigration was mostly good and mostly bad, at 29% each.
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Photo: Getty
