Keir Starmer has had worst start of any new PM, says polling guru
Curtice told Times Radio that voters 'still don't know what [Starmer] stands for', and said he 'must paint a picture of the country he wants to create'.
Starmer was defended by Wes Streeting, the health secretary, who said it took 'courage and humility' to recognise when things had gone wrong.
In a series of interviews Starmer reflected on the 12 months since his government was elected.
He told The Sunday Times that he took 'ownership' of all his decisions and that a necessary focus on international affairs had led to him not fully appreciating the strength of feeling over welfare reforms until last week.
He also said he regretted the use of the term 'island of strangers' in a speech this year on immigration, which was likened to Enoch Powell's claim that the white population would find themselves 'strangers in their own land' if immigration were not checked.
Starmer said: 'I wouldn't have gone near it if I had known. I didn't know that was used by Powell. If I'd known that, I would never have said it.'
His performance has led to questions about the future of his leadership. Some MPs feel emboldened after having forced three government U-turns in two months.
Curtice told Times Radio: 'Apologies rarely help. U-turns can suggest a lack of direction, which is already one of this government's biggest problems.'
• Keir Starmer on the benefits U-turn and his toughest week yet
He said Starmer's government had suffered the biggest fall in public support for any newly elected British government. Labour now polls at about 24 per cent. The Telegraph reported that more than 40 MPs were considering pushing for a watering down of the policy on inheritance tax for farmers and ministers also face a challenge over the two-child benefit cap.
Streeting said Starmer had acted bravely and that it had taken courage to admit that he was not perfect. He told the BBC: 'I admire a leader who has the courage and humility to admit that he's not perfect and that his government's made mistakes … By the prime minister's own admission, I think there are things that we haven't got entirely right in government.
• Trevor Phillips: How Keir's feeble grip on power got weaker
'All I'd say about Keir Starmer is, beyond the decency of the man, which I think is evident to people, I think he's shown real leadership on the world stage, working hard to bridge Europe and America to tackle conflict, sealing trade deals that have literally saved thousands of jobs in this country and offer a pathway to future growth, reforming our public services and trying to make our country fairer through those anti-poverty measures I described as well as getting our public services turned around.
'We were elected on a platform of change. Until people start feeling that change I don't expect the public to give the prime minister, me or anyone else a pat on the back for a job well done.'
Streeting, who has been tipped as a potential successor to Starmer, did not rule out wanting the top job but dismissed the suggestion as 'mischief making'. He told Sky News: 'I know exactly what you're up to and it's mischief making and it's a load of rubbish and I'm not entertaining it. The fact is that we have got in Keir Starmer a prime minister who is delivering real change in our country.
'Of course, it takes time and I'm not pretending for a moment that all of the problems in our country have been solved: far from it, even on the NHS, where I think we've made real progress in our first year. There is so much more to do. There's not a hint of complacency, but we came in to change the country and that's what we're doing.'
On the same programme, Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, who is seen as another candidate to replace Starmer, ruled out trying to do so. The Mail on Sunday said allies of Rayner believed that she would be the next leader. One told the newspaper: 'I think Angela will be the leader. After next year's Welsh and local elections, if Starmer does not stand down, he will face a challenge. People have just had enough and Keir is gravely wounded.'
Others said, however, that Rayner was focused on her government role and dismissed the suggestion.
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