According to a recent poll by BMG Research, Sir Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party, would be on his way to 10 Downing Street in the event of a general
election. Despite Labour's setback in the local elections, the survey for i revealed that Labour maintains a 14-point lead over the Conservatives, which is more than enough to secure a majority in the House of Commons.
Although Rishi Sunak's personal ratings have slightly decreased, Sir Keir's ratings remain stable. The public is evenly divided over whether he is doing a good job as Labour leader. When asked about their voting preference in a general election, 43% of respondents said they would back Labour, with 29% supporting the Conservatives. This is the best performance for the Liberal Democrats since August, with 11% of respondents indicating they would vote for them. The Greens received 6% of the vote, while 5% preferred Reform UK.
Although the 14-point lead is slightly lower than BMG's previous poll in March, it is consistent with the evidence that Mr Sunak is narrowing the gap on Sir Keir but still has a long way to go. The Prime Minister's approval rating now stands at -14, with only 28% of people thinking he is doing a good job and 42% disagreeing. This is a decrease from March, but it is still higher than Boris Johnson or Liz Truss recorded in the months before Mr Sunak took office.
Sir Keir's ratings remain evenly balanced, with 30% of respondents saying he is doing well, 30% thinking he is doing badly, and the remainder being unsure. The survey revealed that support for the UK rejoining the European Union has hit a new high, with 45% of people, including 11% of those who voted Leave, believing that Britain should reverse Brexit, while 38% support staying out.
The cost of living remains the biggest political issue, with 80% of people naming it as a key political priority, followed by healthcare and then the economy in general. The Labour Party is ahead of the Conservatives on almost every policy, with the Conservatives leading only on the war in Ukraine. Despite rising optimism about the cost of living since autumn, 47% of people remain pessimistic about their household finances, with only 18% predicting they will be better off in the next year. Photo by Jeremy Corbyn, Wikimedia commons.