Ryan Hooper – The Daily Mail Aug 12, 2025

Keir Starmer was dealt a fresh blow last night as his Government’s popularity sunk to its lowest level to date.

The Government’s approval rating slipped to minus 55, according to pollsters YouGov.

Just 13 per cent of the public included in the survey said they approved of the Government’s record since returning to power under Sir Keir last summer – the same percentage as the previous week.

But those who disapproved slipped by another percentage point, down to 68 per cent.

It meant the net approval rating lurched to a record low for this administration.

The weekly poll makes grim reading for Labour HQ, and follows a series of blows to Sir Keir’s authority, including fresh accusations he has failed to get a hold of the small boats crisis, and claims he has presided over a ‘two-tier’ justice system.

He also had to deal with the resignation of his homelessness minister over a rental home row.

The YouGov data came after it was officially confirmed more than 50,000 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel since Labour won the 2024 general election.

Analysis claimed the milestone was reached in 401 days of the Starmer government, compared with 603 days for Rishi Sunak’s administration, and more than 1,000 days under Boris Johnson’s.

Liz Truss did not last long enough to reach the landmark, although a total of 10,532 migrants arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel during the 49 days of her premiership.

Figures this week showed Labour freed more than 26,000 criminals as part of its early release scheme.

This included hundreds of serious offenders who were handed sentences of more than a decade behind bars.

The figures suggested 45,000 criminals could have their sentences cut in the programme’s first year, which was designed to ease pressure on Britain’s overcrowded prisons.

There have also been claims police under Labour have been treating certain right-wing protesters more severely than minority groups – a theory pushed by former Donald Trump ally Elon Musk.

And beleaguered shopkeepers have been told not to publicise the identities of suspected shoplifters, despite concerns over-stretched police are effectively powerless to clamp down on thieves.

Last week, homelessness minister Rushanara Ali became the fourth Labour minister under Sir Keir to have left their role over a personal matter.

She was accused of ‘staggering hypocrisy’ amid claims she ejected tenants from one of her properties, before putting it back on the market for an extra £700 a month in rent.

And the economy remains dire, amid claims Chancellor Rachel Reeves will have to increase taxes substantially this autumn to fill a £50 billion black hole.

YouGov polling has always shown Labour to have a negative approval rating since returning to power for the first time since Gordon Brown was Prime Minister.

But the country was largely split down the middle in the early days of Sir Keir’s premiership, with just a couple of percentage points between those who thought the Government was doing a good job, and those who disagreed.

And it has steadily gotten worse, with brief increases in approval followed by extended periods where public satisfaction diminishes.

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