Half of Britain does not know what Sir Keir Starmer stands for, a new poll revealed on Monday, with the public struggling to name the vast majority of his shadow Cabinet.
The findings in the Ipsos survey for The Standard come amid expectations of the next General Election taking place in little over a year’s time.
Labour’s 22-points lead on the Tories suggests Sir Keir is the most likely to be walking through the door of No10, after the votes are counted, unless there is a dramatic shift in political fortunes.
So the poll is a “deeper dive” focus on Labour and found voters thirsty to know more about what Sir Keir - and also Rishi Sunak - would do if they win the next election.
Its key results are:
- 50 per cent of adults say they don’t know what Sir Keir stands for, up six points since January.
- When asked to name people in the shadow Cabinet, only Angela Rayner got into double figures in public recognition.
- Jeremy Corbyn was named by more people than 20 actual shadow Cabinet members.
- Only seven out of 30 of Sir Keir’s top team were mentioned by at least three per cent of respondents.
- But with Mr Sunak raising the tax burden to the highest since the Second World War, 45 per cent also say they don’t know what he stands for, up five points since January.
- Labour leads on most policies, including the top five issues highlighted by voters of health, cost of living, the economy, immigration and education.
- Rachel Reeves leads Jeremy Hunt as “most capable Chancellor” by 41 per cent to 29 per cent, a better position than her predecessors Anneliese Dodds, John McDonnell and Ed Balls, with the latter being closest with an eight point lead in June 2012.
- For both parties, 58 per cent, including a majority among both their own supporters, say they have not been given enough information about what the two leaders would do if they won the election.
When people were asked to name shadow Cabinet members off the top of their head and with no prompting, 23 per cent mentioned Deputy Leader Ms Rayner.
For Ms Reeves it was nine per cent, followed by shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper and shadow health secretary Wes Streeting on five per cent, shadow foreign secretary David Lammy and shadow climate secretary Ed Miliband four per cent, with shadow levelling-up secretary Lisa Nandy three per cent.
Level-pegging with Mr Corbyn (who is not in the shadow Cabinet) on two per cent were shadow work and pensions secretary Jonathan Ashworth, shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry, and party chair Ms Dodds.
Six were on one per cent including shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson and shadow defence secretary John Healey.
Eleven got an asterick, after being mentioned by a few people but not getting to one per cent, including shadow business secretary Jonathan Reynolds and shadow international trade secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds.
Three were named by no-one including shadow justice secretary Steve Reed and shadow environment secretary Jim McMahon.
But despite the lack of recognition, Labour leads the Tories (in percentages) on nearly all policy areas:
- On managing the economy, by 29 to 24
- Reducing cost of living, 37 to 15
- Education, 32 to 17
- Housing, 38 to 11
- Healthcare, 41 to 11
- Taxation, 31 to 22
- Asylum/immigration, 26 to 17
- Benefits, 39 to 15
- Future ties with the EU, 29 to 21
The Conservatives lead Labour by 33 per cent to 15 per cent on defence, they are tied on crime on 23 per cent to 24 per cent respectively, and the Tories are narrowly behind on the environment, 11 per cent compared to 14 per cent, with the Greens on 29 per cent.
Keiran Pedley, Director of Politics at Ipsos UK, said: “Despite Labour’s large poll lead, there is some evidence Keir Starmer still has work to do to seal the deal with the electorate, as many still don’t know what he stands for.
“That said, perhaps it won’t matter given the unpopularity of the Government and Labour’s strong lead on the issues that matter most to the public; the cost of living and NHS.”
Sir Keir and Mr Sunak have both jettisoned, or are reviewing, a string of policies which they trumpeted for their leadership campaigns, the former notably on tuition fees, the latter on a 4p cut to income tax in the next Parliament.
Most recently, Labour delayed its flagship £28 billion green investment plan, funded by borrowing, until the second half of a Parliament, sparking more accusations of “flip-flopping”.
Forty-two per cent say the move shows Labour will say anything to win the election, 41 per cent that it displays flexibility as circumstances change, 34 per cent a willingness to take tough decisions, 33 per cent that it will spend too much and 32 per cent indecisiveness, with answers broadly along political leanings of respondents.
The top issues that people suggest they will vote on are the NHS (31 per cent), inflation/cost of living (31 per cent), managing the economy (22 per cent), asylum and immigration (15 per cent), and education (12 per cent), with just five per cent now citing Brexit/Europe which was the highest in 2019.
In Westminster voting intentions, Labour is on 47 per cent (up three points on May), the Tories 25 per cent (down three point), Liberal Democrats unchanged on 13 per cent, and Greens up two points to eight per cent.
Labour leads the Conservatives on who would be most effective at getting value from public money by 48 per cent to 22 per cent, a gap bigger than it was in 2005 when it last won power.
On public spending after the election, 42 per cent think the Conservatives will spend too little, and 21 per cent about the right amount, while views on Labour are more split, with 37 per cent saying too much and 34 per cent about the right amount.
