Blow For Keir Starmer As Labour's Lead Over The Tories Falls To Just 1 Point

Labour’s lead over the Conservatives in the polls has dropped to just one point following a tough first three months in office for the new government.

According to pollsters More in Common – who shared their data with POLITICO’s London Playbook – Keir Starmer’s party are now a long way off the heady popularity they enjoyed after their historic victory in the general election on July 4.

The survey of 2,023 UK adults put Labour on just 29%, a drop of four percentage points compared to a poll conducted just a fortnight ago.

It’s also the lowest score the More in Common have recorded for the party since it started tracking voting intentions last year.

And, despite taking just 121 seats after a humiliating defeat in July, and being in the middle of a leadership election, the Tories were close on Labour’s heels at 28%.

Reform UK take third place in the poll with 19%, while the Lib Dems – who are actually the third largest party in parliament – are on just 11%. The Greens secured 7%.

Luke Tryl, Executive Director, More in Common UK told HuffPost UK: “While there is unlikely to be an election anytime soon, the speed at which Labour support has dropped and the Conservatives have closed the gap will surely worry the government.

“This is only one poll but it perhaps points to why the prime minister is so keen to try to get a grip on No. 10 and reset his government.

“Labour will be hoping that the upcoming Budget can shift focus from stories of personal infighting back to policy.

“Meanwhile, the Tories may well be wondering if they need to elect a leader at all.”

The pollsters also asked the public what is the most important issue facing the country today, which the government may be paying close attention to ahead of this month’s Budget.

The cost of living came out on top with 61% of respondents thinking it was the priority, as interest rates remain high and energy bills are set to rise again.

Supporting the NHS came in second at 43%, with tackling immigration at 30% and asylum seekers crossing the channel at 22%.

Climate change and the environment were equal with crime, at 18%.

But most political headlines in recent weeks have been about Starmer and his top team, not policy.

Only on Monday, More in Common found Starmer’s personal approval rating has plummeted to  minus 33 points, a staggering fall of 44 points since he got into No.10 just 95 days ago.

A separate unflattering poll from YouGov, also published yesterday, claimed six in 10 Brits would describe the new Labour government as “sleazy”.

Labour’s decline comes after Starmer confirmed he had accepted around £100,000 in free gifts and accommodation from party donors, more than any other sitting MP.

The PM has also been forced to conduct a major shake-up of the Downing Street operation, with controversial chief of staff Sue Gray sacked and replaced by her arch-rival, Morgan McSweeney.