In Scotland, around 64% of people are dissatisfied with the Prime Minister’s performance
By Democrat reporter
Sir Keir Starmer’s approval among Scots is at an all-time low as he marks one year as Prime Minister, according to new polling for STV News.
This week marks one year in office for the first Labour PM in 14 years.
It comes as Starmer faces what could be the biggest rebellion by Labour MPs since he took over as leader.
The internal party split over welfare reforms has left Labour MPs in despair at the standard of political leadership from 10 Downing Street.
STV NewsA new poll by Ipsos, in partnership with STV News, shows 64% of Scots are dissatisfied with Starmer’s performance as Prime Minister.
Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,066 adults between June 12 and June 18 – before the peak of the welfare cuts row and ahead of the Prime Minister’s U-turn.
Only 22% of the Scottish public are satisfied with the way Starmer is doing his job, giving him a net-satisfaction rating of -42 in Scotland.
Among voters who supported Labour at the 2024 General Election, almost half (49%) say they are dissatisfied.
Starmer’s ratings have also fallen behind Nigel Farage’s. 24% say they are satisfied by the Reform UK leader’s performance. Although he remains unpopular among the Scottish public, with 54% of Scots saying they are dissatisfied with him.
“These new results show how dramatically Scotland’s political landscape has shifted compared with a year ago,” Emily Gray, managing director of Ipsos in Scotland, said.
“Reform UK have made significant strides in Scotland to become the third largest party in both Westminster and Holyrood voting intentions.
“While neither Nigel Farage nor Keir Starmer are popular amongst the Scottish public at present, Starmer’s ratings have now fallen behind Farage’s, far from the situation the Prime Minister would want as he marks his first anniversary in Downing Street this week.”
Reform set to be the third largest party at Holyrood
Reform UK is set to receive the third-largest share of the votes at the next Holyrood election, according to the poll.
While the SNP is currently leading on Scottish Parliament voting intentions, with 34% of voters saying they would vote for the party, 14% said they would vote for Nigel Farage’s Reform.
The Scottish Political Monitor also reveals a change in fortunes for Labour, who are expected to lose seats but remain the second largest party at Holyrood with 23% of the vote.