One in three Labour voters thinks Starmer should go, shock poll finds
Sir Keir Starmer faces a mass revolt among Labor supporters, according to a new poll; More than a third say the party would have a better chance of winning the next election if he was replaced. Independent.
The survey, conducted by market research company JL Partners, found that 38 per cent of those who voted for Labor in 2024 said they would do better at the ballot box with a new leader, while only 13 per cent said they would do worse.
In an equally negative assessment of his premiership, Labor voters also ranked Sir Keir as the worst Labor prime minister in history; Tony Blair ranked second worst.
The poll results represent another blow to the beleaguered prime minister, whose future remains the subject of heated speculation following reports of a plot by Labor supporters and cabinet rivals to oust him.
Independent It commissioned the survey after it was revealed that Labor Together, the Labor Party campaign group believed to have helped bring Sir Keir to power, had secretly conducted a survey of his popularity among its members.
The results of the study have not yet been published, but they probably reflect the results of the research. Independent The poll includes the same two key questions: should Sir Keir resign; and, if so, which of the eight potential alternative candidates mentioned should replace him.
Surprisingly, perhaps, Labor voters have less confidence in his ability to win than the general public. The three-to-one margin in favor of his resignation among Labor voters compares with a two-to-one margin among those who voted in last year’s general election.
A total of 39 per cent of Labor voters surveyed said getting rid of the current leader would make no difference to the party’s electoral prospects.
When asked who would replace Sir Keir, a total of 19 per cent of Labor supporters backed Andy Burnham, despite the mayor of Greater Manchester not being an MP.
She is followed by former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner (10 per cent), deputy party leader Lucy Powell (nine per cent), health secretary Wes Streeting and energy minister Ed Miliband (both six per cent); Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood (four percent); education minister Bridget Phillipson (three per cent) and the prime minister’s principal secretary Darren Jones (two per cent).
Significantly, the top three alternative leaders elected by Labor supporters were to the political left of Starmer.
That could help Labor weather a challenge from a resurgent Green Party under new leader Zac Polanski, but could make it harder to stop Labor voters who are bleeding to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK in so-called red wall constituencies in the party’s traditional Northern regions.
Labor voters in the North West, in particular, are fiercely insistent that the party would benefit from dumping Sir Keir: a total of 14 per cent of such voters in this region said Labor would be “much better off” if he replaced him.
15 per cent of Labor voters said they would not support any of the eight proposed candidates; 30 percent did not express an opinion.
Mr Burnham was also the first choice among all voters to replace Sir Keir, despite the prime minister making clear he is determined to lead Labor at the next election. But even if the Prime Minister were forced out, Mr Burnham would not currently be able to take part in any Labor leadership contests as he is not an MP.
Labor Together’s survey of its members asked respondents to name politicians who, compared to Sir Keir, had “the best chance of leading Labor to election victory at the next general election”.
They were also asked to list the people they are likely to support in the leadership race and their opinions on various issues.
JL Partners surveyed 1,562 adults on December 13 and 14
