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Prime ministers

Farage Overtakes Starmer as Nation's Preferred Choice for Prime Minister

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Nigel Farage's relentless campaigning on key issues such as immigration and crime has seen him overtake Sir Keir Starmer as the nation's preferred choice for prime minister, according to a recent Ipsos poll. Despite being the leader of the Reform UK party, Farage is seen as a better candidate to lead the country by 33 per cent of people, compared with 30 per cent who prefer Sir Keir. The poll also shows that Andy Burnham, the mayor for Greater Manchester, is favoured over Sir Keir as a better prime minister.

Key Takeaways:

  • Nigel Farage has overtaken Sir Keir Starmer as the nation's preferred choice for prime minister for the first time, with 33% of people seeing him as a better candidate to lead the country.
  • Andy Burnham, the mayor for Greater Manchester, is favoured over Sir Keir as a better prime minister, with 26% of people seeing him as a better option.
  • The Reform UK party has seen a surge in support, with 40% of people saying they are very or fairly likely to vote for them, while Labour's popularity has plummeted to just 28%.
  • Kemi Badenoch's favourability rating has increased by 1.5 points to minus 22, while Nigel Farage's has also increased by 1.5 points to minus 9.
  • The survey found widespread support for a wealth tax, with 64% of all voters backing the idea of a 1% annual tax on assets above £10m and 2% on assets over £1bn.
  • The YouGov poll suggests the Government continues to hit new levels of unpopularity, with Labour polling lower under Sir Keir than the Conservatives ever did under Rishi Sunak.

Statistics:

  • 33% of people see Nigel Farage as a better candidate to lead the country, compared with 30% who prefer Sir Keir.
  • 40% of people say they are very or fairly likely to vote for Reform UK, while 31% favour the Greens, 29% the Tories, and 28% Labour.
  • 64% of all voters support a wealth tax, with 42% supporting the abolition of stamp duty on the purchase of a main home.
  • Nigel Farage's favourability rating has increased by 1.5 points to minus 9, while Kemi Badenoch's has increased by 1.5 points to minus 22.
  • Labour's popularity has plummeted to just 28%, with the party's net favourability rating dropping 3.5 percentage points to minus 40 since last month.

Sources:

  • Ipsos: "Nigel Farage leads Keir Starmer for the first time in terms of who the public think would make a better Prime Minister"
  • YouGov: "Labour hits lowest-ever poll rating as Reform UK surges in popularity"
  • Keiran Pedley, Director of Politics at Ipsos UK: "Nigel Farage's slight lead over Keir Starmer in a head to head of who would make a better Prime Minister signifies an intriguing shift in the political landscape."

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