A significant majority of the British public, 63 per cent, believe prime minister Keir Starmer does not respect people like them, marking a dramatic reversal in sentiment since the 2024 general election, a new poll indicates.
The concept of “respect” was a central pillar of Starmer’s successful pitch in opposition.
However, a report published by More In Common and the UCL Policy Lab indicates a sharp decline in public perception on this front. The 63 per cent figure is nearly double the 32 per cent who felt a lack of respect from the Labour leader before the election.
Conversely, the proportion of people who feel the prime minister does respect them has plummeted from 41 per cent pre-election to just 24 per cent now.
The poll, which surveyed over 7,000 people in May and June, suggests this sentiment is not isolated to the prime minister but extends to the political class as a whole, and appears to be driving support for Reform UK.
An overwhelming 86 per cent of Reform supporters feel politicians do not respect their values, with 85 per cent saying their contribution to society is not respected.
When comparing leaders, Reform UK’s Nigel Farage scores highest on the respect metric, though half of all voters still believe he does not respect them.
According to the poll, 33 per cent of the public think Farage respects them, compared to 24 per cent for both Starmer and Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch. Those who feel disrespected by the leaders are 50 per cent for Farage, 56 per cent for Badenoch, and 63 per cent for Starmer.
The report also highlights a persistent mood for change in the country, with 77 per cent of people stating it is still time for a new direction.
When asked what has changed in the year since Labour took power, the most frequent answer from the public was “nothing.”
Marc Stears, director of the UCL Policy Lab, said: “What voters want to know most of all is: who does this government stand for? What kind of people does it most respect? Whose interests does it put first?
“A lot of the electorate thought they knew the answer to that one year ago. Now they’re not so sure.”
Josh Self is editor of Politics.co.uk, follow him on Bluesky here and X here.
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