Farage beats Starmer in every respect except one, poll finds
The Reform UK leader is seen as being more in touch with ordinary people, paying greater attention to detail and being a stronger leader than the Prime Minister.
A new survey by Ipsos asked respondents to say whether they felt certain positive characteristics applied to Sir Keir, Mr Farage or Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader.
The Reform leader came out on top in every question, apart from when voters had to say which of the leaders they believed was an 'honest person'.
It comes as Reform continues to surge in the polls, with Ipsos finding that the party is ahead of Labour and the Conservatives.
The party exceeded expectations at the local elections in May, when they gained over 600 councillors and seized the parliamentary seat of Runcorn and Helsby from Labour.
More than 50 per cent of voters said that Mr Farage had 'a lot of personality', compared to just 21 per cent saying the same of the Prime Minister.
Thirty seven per cent said that they felt Mr Farage was a capable leader, and 41 per cent said they would describe him as a strong leader, compared to just 31 per cent and 26 per cent for Sir Keir.
But a third of respondents said that the Prime Minister was honest, compared to 29 per cent for Mr Farage.
Sir Keir suffered the biggest fall in approval rating after winning an election of any prime minister in the modern era, despite his landslide 174-seat majority.
Despite the vast number of Labour MPs, ministers have struggled to pass key legislation because of the discontent on their backbenches.
The largest rebellion of the Prime Minister's career meant that he was forced to back down on several elements of his welfare reforms, eradicating billions in planned savings.
Other policies that have attracted particularly widespread criticism include the scrapping of the universal winter fuel payment for pensioners, which the Chancellor had to partly reverse.
The new polling also found that just a quarter of people believe that Rachel Reeves will still be the Chancellor by the next general election.
The number of voters who think that Sir Keir understands the problems facing Britain has fallen by 18 per cent since the general election last year.
The latest poll also found that voters narrowly judged Mr Farage to be 'good in a crisis' at 27 per cent, compared to 26 per cent for Sir Keir. Mrs Badenoch received just 18 per cent.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News
24 minutes ago
- Sky News
Post Office transformation effort gets £118m funding boost
Why you can trust Sky News Efforts to turn around the crisis-hit Post Office have been given a £118m funding boost as the government continues to consider a new ownership structure. Sky News revealed in October last year, as the Horizon IT scandal inquiry neared its conclusion, that a government-commissioned review was to explore the idea of a mutual model. It would effectively see ownership transferred from the government to sub-postmasters, creating a John Lewis Partnership-style structure, if such an option was to be followed through. It's being considered as a way to return public and postmaster trust to the Post Office. The options are to be the subject of a 12 week consultation on the organisation's future. The new £118m subsidy package was being made available, the Department for Business and Trade said, to fund the transformation plan and further investment. "This funding will protect key services, including access to cash deposits and withdrawals as well as key government services, such as passport applications and the DVLA, alongside helping the Post Office deliver cost-saving measures in its Transformation Plan, part of the New Deal for Postmasters", the statement said. Post Office minister Gareth Thomas added: "Post Offices continue to be a central part of our high streets and communities across the country. "However, after 15 years without a proper review, and in the aftermath of the Horizon scandal, it's clear we need a fresh vision for its future. "This Green Paper marks the start of an honest conversation about what people want and need from their Post Office in the years ahead." 2:55 But the general secretary of the Communication Workers Union, Dave Ward, accused the department of lacking sincerity. He responded: "Successive governments have failed the Post Office, its workers and customers - and choosing to use government subsidies for planned redundancies, closures and so-called transformation plans that are nothing more than managed decline. "This Labour Government are unashamedly doing exactly the same as the Tories did - managing the politics of the Post Office, prioritising further cost-cutting and offering no vision for its future." The update was provided as sub-postmasters await further conclusions from the Horizon IT inquiry. The first volume, published last week, highlighted the impact of false theft and false accounting accusations made against at least 1,000 postmasters. It concluded that 13 people may have taken their own lives after being falsely accused of wrongdoing, based on evidence from the IT system that the Post Office and developers Fujitsu knew could be faulty. At the same time, inquiry chair Sir Wyn Williams recommended further action to improve compensation outcomes amid years of frustration over delays and wrangling over the sums due.
The Independent
31 minutes ago
- The Independent
Perceptions around banks have improved since launch of Consumer Duty
Public perceptions about banks have improved since the launch of the Consumer Duty two years ago, which set higher standards of consumer protection, a survey indicates. The Consumer Duty was launched in July 2023, requiring financial firms to put customers at the heart of what they do, including when designing products and communicating with customers. Back in March 2023, YouGov asked people how they felt banks and financial services companies were performing. Just over two years later, it has carried out another survey, indicating improvements in public opinion. In the most recent survey, YouGov recorded 11 percentage-point increases in the proportion of people who believe banks provide information that is easy to understand (rising from 44% in 2023 to 55% in 2025); that banks protect customers from potential harm (from 40% in 2023 to 51%); and that they provide value for money (up from 36% to 47%). There was also a three-point rise in the proportion of people who believe that banks provide good customer service (from 60% to 63%). The proportion of people who believe banks are doing a poor job of communicating risk to consumers has dropped seven percentage points from 47% to 40%. Under the duty, financial firms should provide helpful and accessible customer support, so it is as easy to sort out a problem, switch or cancel a product, as it was to buy it in the first place. They should also provide timely and clear information, helping people to make good financial decisions. Important information should not be buried in lengthy small print. Providers should also offer products and services that are right for the customer and products and services should also provide fair value. Firms also need to consider whether someone is in a vulnerable situation, for example due to poor health or financial troubles. The latest research was carried out in June 2025, among more than 2,100 people across Britain. The 2023 survey involved 2,000 people across Britain.
BBC News
35 minutes ago
- BBC News
Trump will be hosted by King at Windsor during second state visit
US President Donald Trump has formally accepted an invitation from King Charles to come to the UK for a state visit for a second time. Mr Trump's first state visit was back in 2019, hosted by Queen Elizabeth during his first term in time the president and his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, will come to the UK from 17 to 19 September for the event, which will be held at Windsor Palace, which is where the Royal Family normally hosts guests, is currently undergoing renovations. To be invited for a state visit twice is something that hasn't happened to a US president before. This kind of visit is a big deal and includes a full ceremonial welcome and a state presidents are normally invited for tea or lunch with the monarch, which is a less formal senior members of the Royal Family are expected to be there, including the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children George, Charlotte and Louis, who live on the grounds of the castle. French President Emmanuel Macron was hosted by the King at Windsor last week. This was the first time a state visit had been held in the family's home in Berkshire for more than ten in April, President Trump said: "I'm a friend of Charles, I have great respect for King Charles and the family, William. We have really just a great respect for the family."Prime Minister Sir Keir formally presented the invitation from the King to Mr Trump for the second state visit during a meeting in the Oval Office in have said part of the reason President Trump has been invited again is because the UK government are hoping it will help build a stronger relationship with the could mean he would be more likely to listen to the UK's concerns about the war in Ukraine and lessen the tariffs placed on British exports to the US.
