One in four voters who backed Keir Starmer at the general election now regret it, according to a new poll.
Research by think tank More in Common and published by LBC found 56% of voters now have a lower opinion of the government after six months in power.
It seems that three policies drove this frustrated response to Labour – the government’s decision to reduce the number of pensioners eligible for the winter fuel allowance, cut inheritance tax relief for farmers and its refusal to compensate WASPI women over pension changes.
Some voters said these choices were more damaging to the governing party than partygate – the repeated breach of their own lockdown rules which helped oust Boris Johnson from No.10 – was to the Conservatives.
To make matters even worse for the prime minister, 54% of respondents said they were pessimistic Labour can deliver the change they promised in the election.
A quarter of participants also said they regret voting for Starmer – and that fraction creeps up to two in five (41%) among the 65 to 74 year olds.
Starmer did secure a landslide victory in July’s general election, taking a staggering 411 seats, but, while his success was widespread, it was shallow. Many Labour MPs won their constituencies on relatively narrow majorities.
Asked how the government would win the electorate back after this devastating poll, health minister Karin Smyth told LBC: “We have to deliver.
“That’s disappointing to hear, but we’re just six months in, we know the awful inheritance that we have to deal with.
“Things like today, delivering on those [NHS] waiting lists, getting more money in people’s pockets, better lives, better education for their children, getting those waiting lists down and crucially being able to see a GP – we know that delivery is what matters.
“That’s why Keir Starmer is out today, setting out, in the start of this new year, our plan for reducing those waiting lists, we’re very conscious of that.”
The prime minister has pledged today to introduce half a million more appointments as part of the government’s plan to cut maximum waiting times from 18 months to 18 weeks by the next election.
Starmer announced his plans to reform the country at the end of 2024 with his six milestones, including putting more police officers on the street, building 1.5 million homes and putting more money in people’s pockets.
