British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s approval rating has plummeted 16 points in the past two weeks amid criticism of his handling of widespread anti-immigration riots and his government’s decision to make deep cuts to winter fuel subsidies.
Just a month after winning last month’s general election, Sir Keir Starmer’s honeymoon appears to be over.
The left-wing leader’s net approval rating has fallen to just 3% from 19% two weeks ago, a 16-point drop in two weeks, according to the latest Opinium poll.
🚨 New Poll Observer UK
This week we are again omitting voting intentions as we continue to evaluate the weightings.
Keir Starmer is once again in first place. Starmer’s approval rating has fallen to +3, down from +19% two weeks ago, and he appears to be in honeymoon mode. pic.twitter.com/KM9CzLWJoI
— Opinium (@OpiniumResearch) August 3, 2024
The sharp drop comes as the Labour Prime Minister faces criticism from across the political spectrum over his handling of the unrest that erupted following a mass stabbing at a children’s dance party in Southport earlier this week, in which a teenager of Rwandan origin is alleged to have killed three young British girls and injured eight others.
Riots and large-scale protests broke out across the country in dozens of cities on Saturday, with more actions planned for Sunday. Starmer has vowed to deal with “far-right” rioters and anti-migration “extremists” with the full force of the law, but there are no signs that domestic anger will subside soon.
Starmer’s lack of a honeymoon period also highlights deep divisions in the country. Last month, Labour won its biggest election victory ever, gaining more than 200 seats in the House of Commons, but only won 33.7% of the vote.
Starmer’s government has also faced criticism for suggesting further tax rises are likely in the autumn and over finance minister Rachel Reeves’ decision to make drastic cuts to winter fuel grants for pensioners in the midst of the energy crisis.
England in crisis: Starmer vows swift action against anti-immigration ‘extremists’, Government adviser backs Covid-style lockdown to prevent riotshttps://t.co/1UX3uFwa1G
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) August 4, 2024
While some of the measures announced by Finance Minister Reeves to cut non-essential spending projects and increase public servant pay have been well received, his approval rating has plummeted over the past two weeks.
According to Opinium, Reeves’ approval rating has fallen to minus 12 percent, a 23 percent drop in the past two weeks alone.
James Crouch of Opinium Said Telegraph“Keir Starmer’s post-election honeymoon period appears to be coming to an end, with his approval ratings falling but still performing well overall.”
“Most of the policy announcements made by Rachel Reeves this week to plug the holes in the public finances are seen as the right decisions and there is public support for the pay increases for civil servants.”
“However, the abolition of the uniform winter fuel subsidy was not a decision that was well received by the public and appears to have contributed to the Minister’s plummeting approval rating.”
Left-wing Labour government cuts winter energy support for millions of pensioners, prepares for huge tax hikeshttps://t.co/wfTfcIEDbl
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) July 30, 2024
