Labour’s standing with the public is holding firm despite a barrage of criticism for Keir Starmer and senior ministers over freebies, his chief of staff Sue Gray and unpopular policy decisions. The weekly Techne UK tracker poll reveals that after a difficult conference in Liverpool for Labour - overshadowed by questions about the prime minister’s integrity and infighting - the party is still at 32 per cent, down just one point. Meanwhile the Tories, who go into their conference in disarray without a leader and overshadowed by the resignation of former chair Baroness Warsi, have failed to capitalise on Labour’s woes - going up just one point to 22 per cent.
Nigel Farage’s Reform are still challenging the Tories at 18 per cent, with the Lib Dems at 13 per cent and the Greens at 7 per cent - all unchanged. The lack of movement comes despite ongoing questions about freebies for Starmer including £5,000 in clothes for his wife Victoria, the use of Lord Alli’s luxury flat during his son’s GCSEs, the failure to declare the use of the same flat during Covid, and free tickets to football matches and Taylor Swift concerts totalling £107,000 since 2019. Sir Keir insisted he has been “transparent” despite being late to declare some gifts, while his deputy prime minister Angela Rayner who used a luxury penthouse in New York claimed “all MPs do it”.
Techne UK’s chief executive Michela Morizzo agreed the prolonged Tory leadership and lack of focus of the official opp.