Net approval rating for the government of the UK 2022-2025
As of January 13, 2025, the net approval rating of the Labour government in the United Kingdom stood at -45 percent, a noticeable decline from -2 percent in late July, but slightly up from the low of -47 percent on January 6, 2025. The previous Conservative government's net approval rating was -56 percent just before the 2024 General Election, with a low of -76 percent recorded in October 2022.
Starmer wins 2024 election
After being in opposition for 14 years, Labour's victory in the 2024 general election was a huge achievement for Keir Starmer and his party. The unpopularity of the previous government was, however, one of the main reasons for their victory. When Labour voters were asked why they intended to vote for the party just before the election, the main reason by far was to get the Tories out. In the election, Labour only increased their vote share by 1.6 percent, with the Conservative party seeing their vote share decline by 19.9 percent. The performance of smaller parties, such as the Liberal Democrats and Reform UK, also hurt the Conservatives far more than the Labour Party.
Labour's shaky start
Although Starmer by no means rode a wave of popularity to Number 10, the decline in his government's approval rating is still quite severe. A series of unpopular policies, seen by the government as tough and necessary, are largely responsible for this decline. The early release of some prisoners in England and Wales, for example, was claimed as the only solution to severely overcrowded prisons. Meanwhile, changes to winter fuel allowances for pensioners, from being universal to means tested, were portrayed as an essential cost-cutting measure, but have proven to be one of Labour's least popular policies.
