A pan‑European YouGov survey conducted at the end of August found British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to be among the least popular Western leaders, with only French President Emmanuel Macron rated more unfavourably in his home country.
The YouGov poll showed 22% of British respondents held a favourable view of Starmer while 69% viewed him unfavourably, producing a net favourability rating of -47 percentage points. Macron registered a net favourability of -55 among French adults in the same survey. Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and Spain’s Pedro Sánchez recorded net ratings of -22 and -31, respectively. YouGov’s US opinion tracker recorded a net favourability of -11 for President Donald Trump.
YouGov carried out the pan‑European survey in late August, before political upheaval in London earlier in September. On Sept. 5, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner resigned amid a dispute over tax arrangements, prompting a rapid reshuffle of the Cabinet. The YouGov findings therefore predate that resignation and subsequent ministerial changes.
Separate polls taken in the first week of September showed fragile domestic political standing for Starmer’s Labour Party. A YouGov voting‑intention survey conducted Sept. 7–8 put Nigel Farage’s Reform UK on 27% support, Labour on 22%, the Conservatives on 17% and the Liberal Democrats on 15%; the Green Party recorded 12% after a recent leadership change. A More In Common survey carried out Sept. 5–8 indicated Starmer’s net approval at -44, with Reform leader Nigel Farage at -4, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch at -26 and Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey at -8.
Starmer has been prime minister for a little more than a year after taking office in 2024. His administration has publicly signalled a move into a so‑called “phase two” of government, and party officials have undertaken ministerial reshuffles in attempts to reset the administration’s direction.
The YouGov pan‑European survey compared favourability for a range of Western leaders across participating countries rather than head‑to‑head international ratings; each leader’s net favourability reflects responses from adults in their own country. The results underscore domestic political challenges for several incumbent leaders in Europe and reflect diverging public views across nations.
YouGov and More In Common provided the figures cited; the polls were carried out in late August and early September. The surveys measure headline favourability and approval ratings at a moment when the UK government was experiencing rapid personnel changes and shifting public opinion in multiple trackers.