Rishi Sunak is seen as less trustworthy and honest and more out of touch than Sir Keir Starmer as Labour leads the Tories on all big policy issues, including the economy.
Neither leader is fully embraced by the public. Forty-four per cent are unsure which of them would make the best prime minister, while 31 per cent say Starmer and 23 per cent say Sunak. The prime minister is seen more negatively by voters, however, and has lower net ratings across a range of qualities.
YouGov polling for The Times has found voters have more confidence in Starmer and Labour to address problems from inflation to NHS waiting lists and small boats crossing the channel.
The Labour leader was given a boost yesterday as he saw off efforts from the left to impose more radical policies on the party. The national policy forum supported his wish to prioritise fiscal discipline.
At a meeting in Nottingham, the party rejected an attempt to make Starmer rethink his decision to retain the two-child benefit cap, after a week of internal rows. Changing the limit will not be in the party’s manifesto as a compromise amendment, suggesting that it would “review” the policy once in government, was also rejected. With Starmer insisting that the priority must be to avoid unfunded spending, the party committed itself to the looser promise of “a bold and ambitious strategy to tackle child poverty”.
A Labour spokesman stressed that there were “no unfunded spending commitments in the document”. He described it as “a serious, credible and ambitious policy programme that lays the groundwork for an election- winning manifesto”.
Abolishing tuition fees, votes for EU citizens and self-ID for transgender people were also excluded from an agreed policy document, meaning that Labour will not promise them at the next election.
Starmer’s spokesman said: “Labour’s democratic policymaking body has endorsed Keir Starmer’s programme, his five missions for government, and the fiscal rules that he and Rachel Reeves have set out.
“This weekend is another proof point that shows that Keir Starmer has changed the Labour Party and is ready to change the country in government, built on the rock of economic responsibility and strong fiscal rules.”
In the by-elections last week, Labour took Selby & Ainsty on a 29 percentage point swing but failed to take Uxbridge & South Ruislip in a defeat that was blamed on expansion of the contentious Ulez emissions scheme. Party sources said the message that victory was within reach but threatened by unpopular and costly policies had been “helpful in concentrating minds” at the policy forum.
A row surfaced at the weekend between Starmer and the second biggest trade union, Unite, which refused to back policy on workers’ rights. Sharon Graham, its general secretary, criticised a “weakening of language around zero-hours contracts” and a lack of reform on collective bargaining rules. “Starmer has to prove that Labour will deliver for workers”.
The GMB union disagreed, saying the forum had “delivered significant advances for working people”.
The policy forum puts forward a menu of options from which officials will draw up the party’s manifesto, but the leadership retains broad powers to reject elements it dislikes.
Labour’s poll lead is at 19 points, largely unchanged from earlier this month. Voters are largely pessimistic, however, about either party addressing the UK’s big problems.
On the economy, typically one of the best predictors of an election winner, 30 per cent have confidence in Starmer and Labour, against 54 per cent who do not — a net rating of minus 24. Sunak and the Tories fare even worse, with 25 per cent having confidence and 66 per cent not, a net rating of minus 41.
Sunak has made reducing inflation his number one priority but only 22 per cent have confidence in his ability to deal with it, compared to 68 per cent who do not.
This net rating of minus 46 is worse than the 26 per cent who have confidence in Labour and the net rating for Starmer’s party of minus 30.
On taxation, where Sunak has refused to give way to Tory backbenchers demanding tax cuts, his rating is minus 49, compared with minus 23 for Starmer and Labour.
Voters are most pessimistic about the government’s handling of the NHS, where only 11 per cent are confident in Sunak’s abilities to bring down waiting lists, compared with 80 per cent who are not. This minus 69 rating is significantly worse than the 35 to 50 divide for Labour, giving a net rating of minus 15 for Starmer and his party.
The handling of migrants crossing the channel is the area where voters are most gloomy about both parties. Sunak and the Tories have a net confidence rating of minus 58, compared with minus 40 for Starmer and Labour.
Labour policy at the moment is to do nothing in case the Tories spin anything they do against them.
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Rishi Sunak is seen as less trustworthy and honest and more out of touch than Sir Keir Starmer as Labour leads the Tories on all big policy issues, including the economy.
Neither leader is fully embraced by the public. Forty-four per cent are unsure which of them would make the best prime minister, while 31 per cent say Starmer and 23 per cent say Sunak. The prime minister is seen more negatively by voters, however, and has lower net ratings across a range of qualities.
YouGov polling for The Times has found voters have more confidence in Starmer and Labour to address problems from inflation to NHS waiting lists and small boats crossing the channel.
The Labour leader was given a boost yesterday as he saw off efforts from the left to impose more radical policies on the party. The national policy forum supported his wish to prioritise fiscal discipline.
At a meeting in Nottingham, the party rejected an attempt to make Starmer rethink his decision to retain the two-child benefit cap, after a week of internal rows. Changing the limit will not be in the party’s manifesto as a compromise amendment, suggesting that it would “review” the policy once in government, was also rejected. With Starmer insisting that the priority must be to avoid unfunded spending, the party committed itself to the looser promise of “a bold and ambitious strategy to tackle child poverty”.
A Labour spokesman stressed that there were “no unfunded spending commitments in the document”. He described it as “a serious, credible and ambitious policy programme that lays the groundwork for an election- winning manifesto”.
Abolishing tuition fees, votes for EU citizens and self-ID for transgender people were also excluded from an agreed policy document, meaning that Labour will not promise them at the next election.
Starmer’s spokesman said: “Labour’s democratic policymaking body has endorsed Keir Starmer’s programme, his five missions for government, and the fiscal rules that he and Rachel Reeves have set out.
“This weekend is another proof point that shows that Keir Starmer has changed the Labour Party and is ready to change the country in government, built on the rock of economic responsibility and strong fiscal rules.”
In the by-elections last week, Labour took Selby & Ainsty on a 29 percentage point swing but failed to take Uxbridge & South Ruislip in a defeat that was blamed on expansion of the contentious Ulez emissions scheme. Party sources said the message that victory was within reach but threatened by unpopular and costly policies had been “helpful in concentrating minds” at the policy forum.
A row surfaced at the weekend between Starmer and the second biggest trade union, Unite, which refused to back policy on workers’ rights. Sharon Graham, its general secretary, criticised a “weakening of language around zero-hours contracts” and a lack of reform on collective bargaining rules. “Starmer has to prove that Labour will deliver for workers”.
The GMB union disagreed, saying the forum had “delivered significant advances for working people”.
The policy forum puts forward a menu of options from which officials will draw up the party’s manifesto, but the leadership retains broad powers to reject elements it dislikes.
Labour’s poll lead is at 19 points, largely unchanged from earlier this month. Voters are largely pessimistic, however, about either party addressing the UK’s big problems.
On the economy, typically one of the best predictors of an election winner, 30 per cent have confidence in Starmer and Labour, against 54 per cent who do not — a net rating of minus 24. Sunak and the Tories fare even worse, with 25 per cent having confidence and 66 per cent not, a net rating of minus 41.
Sunak has made reducing inflation his number one priority but only 22 per cent have confidence in his ability to deal with it, compared to 68 per cent who do not.
This net rating of minus 46 is worse than the 26 per cent who have confidence in Labour and the net rating for Starmer’s party of minus 30.
On taxation, where Sunak has refused to give way to Tory backbenchers demanding tax cuts, his rating is minus 49, compared with minus 23 for Starmer and Labour.
Voters are most pessimistic about the government’s handling of the NHS, where only 11 per cent are confident in Sunak’s abilities to bring down waiting lists, compared with 80 per cent who are not. This minus 69 rating is significantly worse than the 35 to 50 divide for Labour, giving a net rating of minus 15 for Starmer and his party.
The handling of migrants crossing the channel is the area where voters are most gloomy about both parties. Sunak and the Tories have a net confidence rating of minus 58, compared with minus 40 for Starmer and Labour.
Labour policy at the moment is to do nothing in case the Tories spin anything they do against them.