Net approval rating for the government of the UK 2022-2024

As of December 16, 2024, the net approval rating of the new Labour government in the United Kingdom stood at -40 percent, far lower than -2 percent in late July, but a slight improvement on late October when the government's approval rating fell to -41 percent. The previous Conservative government's net approval rating was -56 percent just before the 2024 General Election, with a low of -76 percent recorded in October 2022. 

Starmer wins 2024 election

After being in opposition for 14 years, Labour's victory in the 2024 general election was a huge achievement for Keir Starmer and his party. The unpopularity of the previous government was, however, one of the main reasons for their victory. When Labour voters were asked why they intended to vote for the party just before the election, the main reason by far was to get the Tories out. In the election, Labour only increased their vote share by 1.6 percent, with the Conservative party seeing their vote share decline by 19.9 percent. The performance of smaller parties, such as the Liberal Democrats and Reform UK, also hurt the Conservatives far more than the Labour Party. 

Labour's shaky start

Although Starmer did not exactly ride a wave of popularity to Number 10, the decline in his new government's approval rating is still quite severe. A series of unpopular policies, portrayed by the government as tough and necessary decisions, are largely responsible for this decline. The early release of some prisoners in England and Wales, for example, was claimed as the only solution to severely overcrowded prisons. While changes to winter fuel allowances for pensioners, from being universal to means tested, were portrayed as an essential cost-cutting measure.