Keir Starmer faces a difficult start to his first full year as Prime Minister, with a debate on the e-petition calling for a general election in Westminster Hall later today.
This Monday marks the return of parliament, with Westminster Hall hosting a debate on the e-petition calling for a general election. It was created by Michael Westwood on 20th November; a pub owner who described himself as a Tory voter. This petition is a clear sign of Britons’ dissatisfaction with the current Prime Minister, Keir Starmer.
If a petition gains 100,000 signatures, it must be considered for debate in parliament. In just a few days, the petition garnered over 3 million signatures after being endorsed by Elon Musk and Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage. During Prime Minister’s Questions last year, Kemi Badenoch, Conservative leader, brought up the petition demanding that Keir Starmer resign. He responded by saying that ‘we had a massive petition on 4th July in this country’, in reference to Labour’s summer election victory.
Falling popularity
A debate on the petition has been scheduled for Monday, 6th January, making it one of the first parliamentary events of 2025. This will not be the fresh start Starmer may have hoped for given the Labour government’s turbulent initial six months in office, which has seen their approval ratings slump. IPSOS conducted asurvey between 27th November and 4th December, revealing that 61% of Britons are dissatisfied with Keir Starmer’s job as Prime Minister. Keiran Pedley, Director of UK Politics at Ipsos, noted that these results are “the weakest of all Prime Ministers measured by Ipsos going back to the late 1970s.”
In his short premiership, Keir Starmer has faced numerous critics due to the government’s first budget and the decision to cut the Winter Fuel Payment for pensioners. From increasing taxes to picking fights with pensioners, farmers, and the civil service, the current Prime Minister has had a very difficult start. His promises of economic growth were not met as the British economy experienced zero growth since the July election.
According to a YouGov survey, by 23rd December, Keir Starmer had a 58% untrustworthiness rating. Just a month ago, YouGov conducted another poll that revealed Starmer’s net favorability had reached a new low of -41.
Despite his popularity falling, he is still ahead in public opinion compared to the opposition leaders, Kemi Badenoch, Conservative leader, and Nigel Farage, Reform UK leader. According to Ipsos, 32% of respondents would prefer to retain Starmer over Badenoch, at 18%, while 37% still believe Starmer is a better leader than Farage, at 25%.
“Britons are not very happy with the job Keir Starmer’s government is doing running the country, but even so he is seen as a safer pair of hands to be Prime Minister than either the leader of the Conservative Party or Reform UK,” said Gideon Skinner, Senior Director of UK Politics at Ipsos, about the survey.
2025: waiting for some answers
The Labour Party leadership is hoping that difficult reforms will pay dividends in time for the next general election. However, upcoming challenges in 2025 may only contribute further to public dissatisfaction with the government or could turn into a rise in his popularity numbers.
Labour’s pledge to grow the economy may be difficult given that the economy didn’t grow from July to September and even shrank by 0.1% in October. Should the economy fail to grow in the upcoming months, the government may have no choice but to raise taxes again or cut public spending budgets.
Starmer must also navigate a complex relationship with United States President Donald Trump, attempting to avoid any potential tariffs without alienating partners in the EU. Trump’s close ally Elon Musk may prove to be a thorn in the government’s side given his endorsement of Reform UK and his recent call on King Charles to dissolve parliament.
At home the government is facing renewed crisis in the public sector, including in the NHS. Rachel Reeves’ 2024 budget increased public sector pay by between 4.75% and 6%. However, this has been revised down to a 2.8% rise in 2025, a move that unions have described as “insulting.” The British Medical Association (BMA) argued that “there is a real risk for industrial action if pay erosion is not addressed.” This threatens to undermine Labour’s pledge to end public sector strikes.
This year Starmer’s agenda will be centred on these challenges, including economic growth and increasing living standards. The upcoming Renters Rights and the Employment Rights Bills will aim to grant more rights to tenants and workers, respectively. The minimum wage is also set to increase to £12.21 an hour in April. The government has also pledged to close tax loopholes for non-domiciles, which they claim will raise around £1bn.
As for now, many in Westminster are already looking towards the next election. Time will tell whether or not the government will be able to reverse their fortunes.
Published at https://newshubgroup.co.uk/news/uk/parliament-returns-from-christmas-recess-with-general-election-petition-debate
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