Keir Starmer has reversed the negative ratings of his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn in the first major survey of his public popularity since he became Labour leader last weekend.
But there was little sign in the BMG survey for The Independent of Starmer making immediate inroads into Boris Johnson’s electoral lead, with Tories maintaining the overwhelming 17-point advantage which they enjoyed in the company’s final poll of the Corbyn era.
And the poll indicated that Starmer has work to do to make an impression on the public, with more than half – 59 per cent – saying they had so far formed no opinion on his performance.
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By the final month of his four and a half years at Labour’s helm, two-time election loser Mr Corbyn had plumbed previously uncharted depths in the polls, with 77 per cent of voters who expressed an opinion telling BMG in March that they were dissatisfied with his performance against just 23 per cent who were satisfied – an overall rating of minus-54.
Sir Keir’s ratings were almost exactly the opposite in the BMG poll conducted in the days after he was elected leader on 4 April.
left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch.
1/50 11 April 2020A man jogs on an empty beach in Scarborough as the UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus
PA
2/50 10 April 2020Military personnel testing people at a coronavirus test centre in the car park of Chessington World of Adventures
Reuters
3/50 9 April 2020Posters drawn by children displayed in support of the NHS in a building near St Thomas’ Hospital in London
Getty
4/50 8 April 2020A street cleaner in front of Coronavirus messaging on Picadilly Circus in London
Getty
5/50 7 April 2020A jogger on the Millennium Bridge in London, as the UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus
PA
6/50 6 April 2020A Royal Signals soldier practices during training held by the British Army. They are preparing them to support the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust in the battle against coronavirus
Ministry of Defence/Reuters
7/50 5 April 2020A police officer advises a woman to go home after spotting her enjoying the sun in Primrose Hill, London
AP
8/50 4 March 2020New Leader of the Labour Party Keir Starmer speaks on the announcement of his victory in the leadership race of the Labour Party
AFP via Getty
9/50 3 April 2020Health Secretary Matt Hancock and NHS staff stand on marks on the ground, put in place to ensure social distancing guidelines are adhered to, at the opening of the NHS Nightingale Hospital at the ExCel centre in London, a temporary hospital with 4000 beds which has been set up for the treatment of Covid-19 patients. PA Photo. Picture date: Friday April 3, 2020. Split into more than 80 wards containing 42 beds each, the facility will be used to treat Covid-19 patients who have been transferred from other intensive care units across London.
PA
10/50 2 April 2020A child at Westlands Primary School paints a poster in support of the NHS in Newcastle-under-Lyme
Reuters
11/50 1 April 2020Staff wearing PPE of gloves and face masks, as a preactionary measure against Covid-19, disinfect an ambulance after it arrived with a patient at St Thomas’ Hospital in north London
AFP via Getty
12/50 31 March 2020Llandudno Pier remains closed and deserted of tourists during the pandemic lockdown in Wales
Getty
13/50 30 March 2020Waves break against the pier at Tynemouth, on the North East coast
PA
14/50 29 March 2020Waves crash over a car on the seafront during windy conditions in Broadstairs, Kent
PA
15/50 28 March 2020Derbyshire Police dye the “blue lagoon” in Harpur Hill, Buxton black, as gatherings there are “dangerous” and are “in contravention of the current instruction of the UK Government”
PA
16/50 27 March 2020A road sign advising drivers to ‘stay home protect NHS saves lives’ is visible on the M80 near Banknock as the UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus
PA
17/50 26 March 2020A postman wears a mask and gloves to deliver letters in Broadstairs, Kent, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson has put the UK in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. PA Photo. Picture date: Thursday March 26, 2020. The UK’s coronavirus death toll reached 463 on Wednesday.
PA
18/50 25 March 2020Members of the public out exercising on Brighton beach at sunset
Getty
19/50 24 March 2020Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas’ hospital
Getty
20/50 23 March 2020Commuters travel on the London underground during the Coronavirus pandemic
Getty
21/50 22 March 2020People walk on the seafront after recent incidents of members of the public ignoring government advice on social distancing on in Hove
Getty
22/50 21 March 2020A general view of an empty Trafalgar Square in London. There have as of now been 3,983 diagnosed coronavirus cases in the UK and 177 deaths
Getty
23/50 20 March 2020Swans swim on the banks of the River Severn in Worcester
PA
24/50 19 March 2020A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow’s street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss
PA
25/50 18 March 2020Students tend to Spring Lambs at Moreton Morrell College in Warwickshire
PA
26/50 17 March 2020Caerphilly Castle in South Wales joins Tourism Ireland’s Global Greenings campaign to mark St Patrick’s Day
PA
27/50 16 March 2020Shoppers form long queues ahead of the opening of a Costco wholesale store in Chingford
Getty
28/50 15 March 2020Players sing songs in the changing room after their game of football at Hackney Marshes in London
Reuters
29/50 14 March 2020Empty shelves in the laundry aisle of an Asda store in London
PA
30/50 13 March 2020Runners and riders compete in the JCB Triumph Hurdle during day four of the Cheltenham Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse. Thousands of people attended where Gold Cup day amid great uncertainty as sports events up and down the United Kingdom are postponed and cancelled due to the Coronavirus outbreak
PA Images via Reuters Connect
31/50 12 March 2020A worker makes her way along rows of daffodils, removing any rogue varieties, at Taylors Bulbs in Holbeach, Lincolnshire. The fourth generation family company plant over 35 million bulbs every year, and have held The Royal Warrant as Bulb Growers to Her Majesty The Queen since 1985
PA
32/50 11 March 2020Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak poses for pictures with the Budget Box outside 11 Downing Street ahead of Britain’s first post-Brexit budget
AFP/Getty
33/50 10 March 2020A Tate Modern gallery assistant interacts with the ‘Silver Clouds’ installation, at a press view of major new Andy Warhol exhibition at Tate Modern, which features classic pop art pieces and works never shown before in the UK
PA
34/50 9 March 2020The Sub Dean and Canon Paster of Southwark, Canon Michael Rawson, left, blesses the statue of Santa Barbara and workers on one of the sites of the Thames Tideway Tunnel in London. Santa Barbara is the patron saint of tunnellers and by tradition a statue and shrine to her is placed at tunnel portals and the entrance to long tunnel headings to keep workers safe while underground. The 16 mile-long Thames Tideway Tunnel will prevent tens of millions of tonnes of sewage and rainwater run-off entering the river every year
PA
35/50 8 March 2020An Afghan Hound dog is prepared for show at the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre (NEC) during the final day of the Crufts Dog Show
PA
36/50 7 March 2020People taking part in the Million Women Rise march through central London, to demand an end to male violence against women and girls in all its forms
PA
37/50 6 March 2020Crew members take a selfie beside the cab of The Flying Scotswoman, the LNER Edinburgh to London rail service which has an all-female crew to celebrate International Women’s Day, before it departs Edinburgh Waverley station
PA
38/50 5 March 2020A poodle arrives for the first day of Crufts 2020 in Birmingham
Jason Skarratt/Flick.digital
39/50 4 March 2020An Emergency Department Nurse during a demonstration of the Coronavirus pod and Covid-19 virus testing procedures set-up beside the Emergency Department of Antrim Area Hospital in Northern Ireland
PA
40/50 3 March 2020A pedestrian wears a protective facemask while taking a bus in Westminster, London, on the day that Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that the number of people diagnosed with coronavirus in the UK has risen to 51
PA
41/50 2 March 2020An artist at Madame Tussauds in London fits the museum’s waxwork of Prime Minister Boris Johnson with a baby carrier, following the recent announcement that he is expecting a baby with partner Carrie Symonds
PA
42/50 1 March 2020A man dressed as Dewi Sant leads the St David’s day parade in Cardiff, where hundreds of people march through the city in celebration of the patron saint of Wales. Dewi Sant (Saint David in English) was the Welsh bishop of Mynyw (now St Davids) during the 6th century
PA
43/50 29 February 2020A home flooded after the River Aire burst its banks in East Cowick, East Yorkshire
Getty
44/50 28 February 2020Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg takes part in a “Youth Strike 4 Climate” protest march in Bristol, south west England. “Activism works, so I ask you to act,” she said
AFP/Getty
45/50 27 February 2020Campaigners cheer outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London after they won a Court of Appeal challenge against controversial plans for a third runway at Heathrow
PA
46/50 26 February 2020Temporary barriers have been overwhelmed by flood water in Bewdley, Shropshire
Getty
47/50 25 February 2020Players take part in the Atherstone Ball Game in Warwickshire. The game honours a match played between Leicestershire and Warwickshire in 1199, when teams used a bag of gold as a ball, and which was won by Warwickshire
PA
48/50 24 February 2020A couple shelter from waves crashing over the promenade in Folkestone, Kent, as bad weather continues to cause problems across the country
PA
49/50 23 February 2020Viking re-enactors during the Jorvik Viking Festival in York, recognised as the largest event of its kind in Europe
PA
50/50 22 February 2020Former Greek Finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, fashion designer Vivienne Westwood and editor in chief of WikiLeaks Kristinn Hrafnsonn attend a protest against the extradition of Julian Assange outside the Australian High Commission in London
Reuters
1/50 11 April 2020A man jogs on an empty beach in Scarborough as the UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus
PA
2/50 10 April 2020Military personnel testing people at a coronavirus test centre in the car park of Chessington World of Adventures
Reuters
3/50 9 April 2020Posters drawn by children displayed in support of the NHS in a building near St Thomas’ Hospital in London
Getty
4/50 8 April 2020A street cleaner in front of Coronavirus messaging on Picadilly Circus in London
Getty
5/50 7 April 2020A jogger on the Millennium Bridge in London, as the UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus
PA
6/50 6 April 2020A Royal Signals soldier practices during training held by the British Army. They are preparing them to support the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust in the battle against coronavirus
Ministry of Defence/Reuters
7/50 5 April 2020A police officer advises a woman to go home after spotting her enjoying the sun in Primrose Hill, London
AP
8/50 4 March 2020New Leader of the Labour Party Keir Starmer speaks on the announcement of his victory in the leadership race of the Labour Party
AFP via Getty
9/50 3 April 2020Health Secretary Matt Hancock and NHS staff stand on marks on the ground, put in place to ensure social distancing guidelines are adhered to, at the opening of the NHS Nightingale Hospital at the ExCel centre in London, a temporary hospital with 4000 beds which has been set up for the treatment of Covid-19 patients. PA Photo. Picture date: Friday April 3, 2020. Split into more than 80 wards containing 42 beds each, the facility will be used to treat Covid-19 patients who have been transferred from other intensive care units across London.
PA
10/50 2 April 2020A child at Westlands Primary School paints a poster in support of the NHS in Newcastle-under-Lyme
Reuters
11/50 1 April 2020Staff wearing PPE of gloves and face masks, as a preactionary measure against Covid-19, disinfect an ambulance after it arrived with a patient at St Thomas’ Hospital in north London
AFP via Getty
12/50 31 March 2020Llandudno Pier remains closed and deserted of tourists during the pandemic lockdown in Wales
Getty
13/50 30 March 2020Waves break against the pier at Tynemouth, on the North East coast
PA
14/50 29 March 2020Waves crash over a car on the seafront during windy conditions in Broadstairs, Kent
PA
15/50 28 March 2020Derbyshire Police dye the “blue lagoon” in Harpur Hill, Buxton black, as gatherings there are “dangerous” and are “in contravention of the current instruction of the UK Government”
PA
16/50 27 March 2020A road sign advising drivers to ‘stay home protect NHS saves lives’ is visible on the M80 near Banknock as the UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus
PA
17/50 26 March 2020A postman wears a mask and gloves to deliver letters in Broadstairs, Kent, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson has put the UK in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. PA Photo. Picture date: Thursday March 26, 2020. The UK’s coronavirus death toll reached 463 on Wednesday.
PA
18/50 25 March 2020Members of the public out exercising on Brighton beach at sunset
Getty
19/50 24 March 2020Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas’ hospital
Getty
20/50 23 March 2020Commuters travel on the London underground during the Coronavirus pandemic
Getty
21/50 22 March 2020People walk on the seafront after recent incidents of members of the public ignoring government advice on social distancing on in Hove
Getty
22/50 21 March 2020A general view of an empty Trafalgar Square in London. There have as of now been 3,983 diagnosed coronavirus cases in the UK and 177 deaths
Getty
23/50 20 March 2020Swans swim on the banks of the River Severn in Worcester
PA
24/50 19 March 2020A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow’s street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss
PA
25/50 18 March 2020Students tend to Spring Lambs at Moreton Morrell College in Warwickshire
PA
26/50 17 March 2020Caerphilly Castle in South Wales joins Tourism Ireland’s Global Greenings campaign to mark St Patrick’s Day
PA
27/50 16 March 2020Shoppers form long queues ahead of the opening of a Costco wholesale store in Chingford
Getty
28/50 15 March 2020Players sing songs in the changing room after their game of football at Hackney Marshes in London
Reuters
29/50 14 March 2020Empty shelves in the laundry aisle of an Asda store in London
PA
30/50 13 March 2020Runners and riders compete in the JCB Triumph Hurdle during day four of the Cheltenham Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse. Thousands of people attended where Gold Cup day amid great uncertainty as sports events up and down the United Kingdom are postponed and cancelled due to the Coronavirus outbreak
PA Images via Reuters Connect
31/50 12 March 2020A worker makes her way along rows of daffodils, removing any rogue varieties, at Taylors Bulbs in Holbeach, Lincolnshire. The fourth generation family company plant over 35 million bulbs every year, and have held The Royal Warrant as Bulb Growers to Her Majesty The Queen since 1985
PA
32/50 11 March 2020Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak poses for pictures with the Budget Box outside 11 Downing Street ahead of Britain’s first post-Brexit budget
AFP/Getty
33/50 10 March 2020A Tate Modern gallery assistant interacts with the ‘Silver Clouds’ installation, at a press view of major new Andy Warhol exhibition at Tate Modern, which features classic pop art pieces and works never shown before in the UK
PA
34/50 9 March 2020The Sub Dean and Canon Paster of Southwark, Canon Michael Rawson, left, blesses the statue of Santa Barbara and workers on one of the sites of the Thames Tideway Tunnel in London. Santa Barbara is the patron saint of tunnellers and by tradition a statue and shrine to her is placed at tunnel portals and the entrance to long tunnel headings to keep workers safe while underground. The 16 mile-long Thames Tideway Tunnel will prevent tens of millions of tonnes of sewage and rainwater run-off entering the river every year
PA
35/50 8 March 2020An Afghan Hound dog is prepared for show at the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre (NEC) during the final day of the Crufts Dog Show
PA
36/50 7 March 2020People taking part in the Million Women Rise march through central London, to demand an end to male violence against women and girls in all its forms
PA
37/50 6 March 2020Crew members take a selfie beside the cab of The Flying Scotswoman, the LNER Edinburgh to London rail service which has an all-female crew to celebrate International Women’s Day, before it departs Edinburgh Waverley station
PA
38/50 5 March 2020A poodle arrives for the first day of Crufts 2020 in Birmingham
Jason Skarratt/Flick.digital
39/50 4 March 2020An Emergency Department Nurse during a demonstration of the Coronavirus pod and Covid-19 virus testing procedures set-up beside the Emergency Department of Antrim Area Hospital in Northern Ireland
PA
40/50 3 March 2020A pedestrian wears a protective facemask while taking a bus in Westminster, London, on the day that Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that the number of people diagnosed with coronavirus in the UK has risen to 51
PA
41/50 2 March 2020An artist at Madame Tussauds in London fits the museum’s waxwork of Prime Minister Boris Johnson with a baby carrier, following the recent announcement that he is expecting a baby with partner Carrie Symonds
PA
42/50 1 March 2020A man dressed as Dewi Sant leads the St David’s day parade in Cardiff, where hundreds of people march through the city in celebration of the patron saint of Wales. Dewi Sant (Saint David in English) was the Welsh bishop of Mynyw (now St Davids) during the 6th century
PA
43/50 29 February 2020A home flooded after the River Aire burst its banks in East Cowick, East Yorkshire
Getty
44/50 28 February 2020Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg takes part in a “Youth Strike 4 Climate” protest march in Bristol, south west England. “Activism works, so I ask you to act,” she said
AFP/Getty
45/50 27 February 2020Campaigners cheer outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London after they won a Court of Appeal challenge against controversial plans for a third runway at Heathrow
PA
46/50 26 February 2020Temporary barriers have been overwhelmed by flood water in Bewdley, Shropshire
Getty
47/50 25 February 2020Players take part in the Atherstone Ball Game in Warwickshire. The game honours a match played between Leicestershire and Warwickshire in 1199, when teams used a bag of gold as a ball, and which was won by Warwickshire
PA
48/50 24 February 2020A couple shelter from waves crashing over the promenade in Folkestone, Kent, as bad weather continues to cause problems across the country
PA
49/50 23 February 2020Viking re-enactors during the Jorvik Viking Festival in York, recognised as the largest event of its kind in Europe
PA
50/50 22 February 2020Former Greek Finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, fashion designer Vivienne Westwood and editor in chief of WikiLeaks Kristinn Hrafnsonn attend a protest against the extradition of Julian Assange outside the Australian High Commission in London
Reuters
Of those expressing a view, some 75 per cent said they were satisfied with Starmer, with 25 per cent dissatisfied – an overall margin of plus-50.
When “don’t knows” and “no opinions” are taken into account, however, the picture was less rosy for the new Labour leader, with the 31 per cent who were satisfied easily outnumbering the 10 per cent dissatisfied, but both tallies far overshadowed by the 59 per cent who have not made their minds up.
The poll was taken in the immediate aftermath of a shadow cabinet reshuffle which removed some of the totemic left-wing figures of the Corbyn team like John McDonnell and Diane Abbott and replaced them with faces from the party’s centrist wing like David Lammy, Rachel Reeves and Ian Murray.
On voting intention, Mr Johnson’s Tories remained comfortably in the lead with 46 per cent (up one point since March) against Labour’s 29 per cent (up one), when don’t knows are excluded. Liberal Democrats were down a point on 10 per cent with Greens on 6 and the Brexit Party on 2.
Labour voters showed strong approval of Starmer’s leadership, with 49 per cent satisfied, against just 7 per cent who were not. But he also enjoyed a positive satisfaction rating among Tory and Lib Dem voters.
And crucially, his arrival appeared to be welcomed by the key sector of voters who did not vote in the 2019 election – believed to include many traditional Labour supporters turned off by Mr Corbyn. Some 22 per cent of non-voters voiced satisfaction at Starmer’s leadership, against 9 per cent who were dissatisfied.
Strongest support for the new Labour leader was found in his native London (33 per cent satisfied against 11 per cent dissatisfied) and the West Midlands (39-11). But he appeared to have made less of a breakthrough in the North East, where the margin of satisfaction was just 21-14 and Scotland (26-7).
He enjoyed his strongest approval among the youngest 18-24 year-old age group (36 per cent satisfied, 11 per cent dissatisfied). And his satisfaction rating was higher among the middle and upper class ABC1 social categories (35 per cent) and university graduates (37 per cent) than the working and lower middle class C2DE group (25 per cent) and those with no educational qualifications (20 per cent).
– BMG questioned 1,541 British adults between 7 and 9 April.
Source: UK Politics - www.independent.co.uk