Skip to content
City PM
  • Germany
  • France
  • Europe
  • Markets
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • DE
  • Germany
  • France
  • Europe
  • Markets
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • DE
Friday 01 September 2023 11:58 am

Rishi Sunak hits his lowest ever rating as just 32 per cent of Britons think he makes a good PM

By: Jessica Frank-Keyes

Political Reporter

Add as a preferred source on Google
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak Visits Rochdale
Prime minister Rishi Sunak. (Photo by Phil Noble - Pool/Getty Images)

Rishi Sunak has scored his lowest ever rating for how much of the public think he would make the best Prime Minister, according to new polling.

The Conservative Party leader convinced just 32 per cent of the British population that he is the best choice for Prime Minister, pollsters at Savanta found, dropping two points on July.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer came out on top, with a 39 per cent score, consistent with the previous month. It marks his fourth lead in a row ahead of the Tory Prime Minister.

Chris Hopkins, political research director at Savanta, said Starmer’s increasing lead over Sunak “feels really significant”.

He said: “Four consecutive Starmer leads are beginning to tell the story of a Prime Minister who’s not been able to rescue his party following the controversial reigns of its predecessors. 

🚨NEW Westminster Voting Intention

📈17pt Labour lead

🌹Lab 46 (-1)
🌳Con 29 (+1)
🔶LD 10 (=)
➡️Reform 5 (+1)
🌍Green 4 (+1)
🎗️SNP 3 (=)
⬜️Other 3 (-2)

2,159 UK adults, 25-27 Aug

(chg 21-23 July) pic.twitter.com/J4jPJtemRe

— Savanta UK (@Savanta_UK) September 1, 2023

“There is no obvious remedy to Sunak’s ailing polling numbers that offers much hope for his party as we exit summer.”

While 29 per cent of the public said they didn’t know who would make the best leader – a one per cent increase. This chunk represents voters both politicians will be keen to win over.

On voting intention, the Labour Party stood at 46 per cent, a 17-point lead on the Conservatives. Labour were down one point on July while the Tories were up one.

And Starmer’s net favorability rating – a likeability score – was -1, a one point fall on July, while Sunak’s was far worse at -20, following a six point plummet on last month’s tracker.

Fellow cabinet ministers Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and home secretary Suella Braverman also saw their favorability rankings fall by seven and four points to -25 and -26 respectively.

Savanta’s polling surveyed 2,159 UK adults, between August 25 to 27.

Read more

Beware a desperate Prime Minister in search of a legacy

Keir Starmer speaking at London Tech Week conference, discussing innovation and technology advancements in the UK.

Share this article

  • Facebook
  • X
  • LinkedIn
  • WhatsApp
  • Email

Similarly tagged content:

Sections

  • News

Categories

  • Politics

Related Topics

  • Conservative Party
  • Jeremy Hunt
  • Keir Starmer
  • Labour Party
  • Rishi Sunak
  • UK Government

Trending Articles

  • Billionaire Easyjet founder in line for £800m payday from takeover

  • Burnham told to launch £100bn tax reform package

  • Construction sector cuts jobs again as house building slumps

  • Pension pressure to help swell UK debt to three times size of economy

  • Tickets for England World Cup quarter vs Norway on sale for $8m

More from City PM

  • Beware a desperate Prime Minister in search of a legacy

    Opinion
    Keir Starmer speaking at London Tech Week conference, discussing innovation and technology advancements in the UK.
  • Streeting backs Burnham as ‘King of the North’ calls for ‘orderly’ transfer of power

    Politics
    Andy Burnham Westminster
  • Starmer ally defends minimum wage quango after Sunak calls for it to be axed

    Economics
    Labour's Pat McFadden could oversee small welfare reforms that could make reasonable savings for public finances.
  • Starmer resigns as Prime Minister

    Politics
    Business conference attendees networking at a corporate event with banners and presentation screens in the background
  • Starmer: I would make Andy Burnham a Cabinet minister

    Politics
    Keir Starmer speaking at a podium during a press conference, expressing determination and leadership in political discourse
  • What if Andy Burnham had become Labour leader in 2015?

    Opinion
    Andy Burnham campaigns to be Labour leader, 2015.
  • As it happened: How Starmer resigned and when Streeting backed Burnham

    Politics
    Keir Starmer appearing nervy during political event, wearing a suit and tie, addressing an audience with a concerned expre...
  • More than 80 retail bosses urge Starmer to tackle youth unemployment crisis

    Retail
    Labour MPs are being warned a “perfect storm” of costs facing the retail sector could see seats lost to Reform UK.

City PM — European politics, business and analysis.

Europe

  • Germany
  • France
  • Europe
  • UK & Ireland

Topics

  • Business
  • Markets
  • AI
  • Technology
  • Opinion
  • Energy

More

  • Politics
  • Economics
  • Fintech
  • Legal
  • Sport
  • Life

Company

  • About City PM
  • Editorial Policy
  • Corrections
  • Contact
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
© 2026 City PM · Published by CityPM Media, Bahnhofstrasse 65, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland
About · Editorial Policy · Corrections · Contact · Privacy