Voters dub Keir Starmer’s government ‘incompetent’ and ‘dishonest’ in shock new poll
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In his new year message the Labour leader admitted there is “so much more” to do after difficult first six months in No 10. Voters believe Keir Starmer’s government is “incompetent” and “dishonest”, according to a shock new poll. They are increasingly turning away from Labour, a new analysis of council by-elections shows, just months before Sir Keir faces his first big electoral test as PM in May, the analysis suggests.
![[The Tories are ahead on the economy, for the first time since before Liz Truss was in Downing Street]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/11/18/22/Screenshot-2024-11-18-at-22.42.51.jpg)
In his new year message, the PM said there was still “so much more” after a difficult first six months in No 10. The PM said while the work to change the UK had “begun” he knew that for many it was “hard to think about the future when you spend all of your time fighting to get through the week”.
Labour has struggled since its landslide election victory in July, dogged by issues including a “freebies” scandal to the backlash to Rachel Reeves’s Budget. Just over half describe the government as "incompetent" and "dishonest", according to YouGov polling for The Times, while just a quarter say the opposite.
The poll also found that 56 per cent believe the government had been unsuccessful, with only 12 per cent saying Labour has been successful. As 2025 begins, just 31 per cent declare they are optimistic about 2025, with 37 per cent pessimistic. On the key challenge of the economy, just 21 per cent say they trust Labour most on the issue, with 24 per cent saying they prefer the Conservatives, the Tories’ first lead since before Liz Truss was in Downing Street.
