The latest polls reveal that as the new Government approaches its 100th day in office, nearly three in five people disapprove of its performance so far. However, despite this disapproval, the majority of the public is still willing to give Labour the benefit of the doubt. According to a poll conducted by YouGov, 59% of people disapproved of the Government’s record, with only 18% approving.
These figures mark a significant decline from Labour’s initial approval ratings after the election and highlight the challenges faced by Sir Keir Starmer in the early days of his premiership. Despite the overall disapproval, 37% of respondents stated they did not have high expectations for the Government but would give it the benefit of the doubt, while 17% expressed confidence that the Government would perform well.
Among the Government’s specific actions, two policies faced notable disapproval from the public. The decision to release some prisoners early, aimed at addressing prison overcrowding, was opposed by 68% of those surveyed, with only 21% supporting the measure. Another contentious policy was means testing the winter fuel allowance, which was disapproved of by over half the respondents.
However, the Government also had several policies that garnered strong approval ratings. Initiatives such as agreeing on new pay deals with junior doctors, lifting the ban on onshore wind farms, and maintaining the two-child benefit cap received significant support from the public. Scrapping the previous government’s plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda also received positive feedback.
Overall, the general sentiment is that while there is disapproval of some policies, the public is still cautiously optimistic about the Government’s future performance. The data was collected through two surveys of approximately 2,100 British adults each, conducted in early October.