More than half of all Britons want Sir Keir Starmer to reign, damning new polling has revealed.
In a representative sample of 2,050 UK adults, asking whether Sir Keir should resign with someone else taking their job or stay in place, some 54 per cent have said they now want the Prime Minister to go.
Just 24 per cent of Britons, asked the question between September 17-19, said Sir Keir should remain in place.
A further 21 per cent said they didn’t know, according to the polling by Opinium for the Observer.
The figure will come as a damning surprise to Sir Keir as it marks a higher percentage (45 per cent) who wanted Rishi Sunak to step aside in April 2024.
Rubbing salt in Sir Keir’s wound, more than a third of 2024 Labour voters agreed that the Prime Minister should resign.
James Crouch, head of policy and public affairs at Opinium, said: “Unpopular for all but two months of his premiership, the Prime Minister’s approval ratings are scraping historic lows, and looking passable only thanks to Liz Truss.
“Few expect Keir Starmer to go anywhere anytime soon, but it’s a humbling place for a leader when most of the country wants them to resign.”
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
When asked who should replace Keir Starmer as Prime Minister, Andy Burnham came out as the No1 pick for voters
|
PA
In a follow-up question, Britons were then asked who should replace Sir Keir if he were to resign.
“King in the North” Andy Burnham came out on top with 13 per cent.
The next closest Labour politician was Wes Streeting, who came in at just five per cent.
In addition to the resignation poll, the insight agency also revealed that Sir Keir’s approval rating has suffered a further slump, dropping a further two points in the last fortnight to land on net -42 per cent.
A third (33 per cent) of Britons said they want Kemi Badenoch to resign
|
PA
The rating marks a tie with Rishi Sunak’s lowest score when he left D-Day commemorations early (net -42 per cent) and comes within spitting distance of Boris Johnson’s net -44 per cent following the collapse of his Government.
Just 41 per cent of 2024 Labour voters currently approve of the Prime Minister, just narrowly beating the 39 per cent who disapprove.
However, marking a feather in his cap, just shy of a quarter (23 per cent) of Britons still think Starmer would make the best Prime Minister, marking a 9-point lead over Kemi Badenoch (13 per cent).
That being said, a majority (52 per cent) now say neither leader would make the best Prime Minister.
The damning polling comes just a week before the Labour Party Conference kicks off in Liverpool.
When compared to the Conservative leadership, a third (33 per cent) of Britons said they want Kemi Badenoch to resign while 27 per cent want her to stay.
In comparison to Sir Keir, Mrs Badenoch has overall support among 2024 Conservative voters, with 48 per cent saying she should stay and 29 per cent thinking she should resign.
The public’s preferred successor for Tory leader should Mrs Badenoch resign is James Cleverley (8 per cent), who narrowly edges Robert Jenrick (on a similar 8 per cent).