Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour government has plunged to its lowest approval rating on record, with YouGov polling showing a net approval of minus 55 as the administration faces mounting crises over illegal immigration and early prisoner releases.
Just 13 per cent of the public approve of the Government’s record since taking power last summer, whilst 68 per cent disapprove, according to the latest YouGov data. The figures represent a fresh blow to the Prime Minister’s authority as his government lurches from crisis to crisis.
The damning poll comes as official figures confirmed more than 50,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel in small boats since Labour won the July 2024 election – reaching the milestone in just 401 days compared to 603 days under Rishi Sunak’s administration and more than 1,000 days under Boris Johnson.
Labour’s embattled early release scheme has also freed more than 26,000 criminals to ease prison overcrowding, including hundreds of serious offenders handed sentences of more than a decade behind bars. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s programme could see 45,000 criminals have their sentences cut in its first year.
The public are sick of soft justice,” declared shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick. Instead of introducing emergency measures to let criminals out early, Starmer should change our broken human rights law so we can deport the thousands of foreign offenders clogging up our jails.
Among those released early under the scheme, which allows offenders to be freed after serving just 40 per cent of their sentence rather than 50 per cent, were 248 convicts sentenced to 14 years or more and 490 handed between 10 and 14 years.
The Government’s approval ratings have steadily deteriorated since Labour returned to power for the first time since Gordon Brown. Whilst the country was initially split in the early days of Sir Keir’s premiership, public satisfaction has experienced extended periods of decline with only brief increases.
On the small boats crisis, Home Office data showed 474 migrants arrived on Monday alone, pushing the total past 50,000. There have been 27,029 arrivals so far this year – 47 per cent higher than the same point in 2024 and 67 per cent higher than 2023.
It is an unacceptable number of people,” admitted Labour former home secretary Baroness Smith of Malvern, now an education minister. “Criminal gangs have got an absolute foothold in the tragic trafficking of people across the Channel.”
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch dismissed Labour’s manifesto promise to “smash the criminal boat gangs” as “just a slogan”, adding: “Things are so much worse since Labour came into office, they have no plans. Their one in, one out scheme isn’t going to work.”
The early release scheme has proved particularly controversial, with figures suggesting an average of 3,500 criminals freed each month – more than 150 each working day. At current rates, the total is likely to hit an estimated 44,785 by the programme’s first anniversary.
Sir Keir also faces accusations he has presided over a “two-tier” justice system, with claims police are treating right-wing protesters more severely than minority groups – allegations amplified by Donald Trump ally Elon Musk.
Adding to Labour’s woes, homelessness minister Rushanara Ali became the fourth minister to leave their role over a personal matter last week. She faced accusations of “staggering hypocrisy” after allegedly ejecting tenants from one of her properties before re-letting it for an extra £700 per month.
The economy remains another major concern, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves reportedly needing to increase taxes substantially this autumn to fill a £50 billion black hole in public finances.
YouGov’s data shows Labour has consistently held a negative approval rating since returning to power. The steady decline has seen brief increases in approval followed by extended periods where public satisfaction diminishes further.
Separate polling data reveals Sir Keir’s personal favourability has also hit record lows, with two-thirds of Britons holding a negative view of the Prime Minister. Even among Labour voters, only 57 per cent maintain a favourable opinion – down from 87 per cent immediately after the election.
Meanwhile, beleaguered shopkeepers have been told not to publicise the identities of suspected shoplifters, despite concerns that over-stretched police are effectively powerless to clamp down on retail crime.
The accumulation of crises and policy failures has left Labour facing its worst public approval ratings since taking office, with no sign of improvement on the horizon as the Government struggles to deliver on its key manifesto promises.
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Image Credit (Shortened):
Keir and Victoria Starmer leaving for NATO Summit (9 July 2024, Stansted) – by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street, licensed under OGL v3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
