Exclusive poll: Labour trails Reform but Starmer rated better PM than Farage

Photo: Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street

Labour trails Reform, but the public still says that Keir Starmer makes a better Prime Minister than Nigel Farage would, according to polling seen by LabourList.

The survey by leading pollsters Survation found that 24.7% of respondents would vote for Reform if an election was held tomorrow, compared to 22.2% for Labour, and 17.5% for the Conservatives.

When the pollsters factored in likelihood to vote, removing undecided voters and those who refused, the numbers increased to 27.3% for Reform, 24.5% for Labour, and 19.8% for the Conservatives.

However, when asked who would make the better Prime Minister, 31.8% of respondents answered Starmer compared to 27.5% for Farage and just 14.5% for Kemi Badenoch.

This is despite Starmer being much less popular than Farage. Starmer has a negative net likeability rating of -14.4%, while Farage has a positive net likeability rating of 3.5%, a difference of more than 17 points.

Subscribe here to our daily newsletter roundup of all things Labour – and follow us on  Bluesky, WhatsApp, ThreadsX or Facebook.

Voters were also polled on the characteristics they associate with the leaders.

The polling found voters regard as Farage is more honest (24.7% vs 22.7%), more competent (26.7% vs 24.6%), more genuine (25.3% vs 23%), less out of touch (19.6% vs 44.2%), and a stronger leader (32.4% vs 25.1%) than Starmer.

But voters say Starmer is calmer (29.6% vs 25%), less irrational (27.3% vs 31.9%), more empathetic (24.8% vs 23.5%), and more reliable (26% vs 24.6%) than Farage.


  • SHARE: If you have anything to share that we should be looking into or publishing about this story – or any other topic involving Labour– contact us (strictly anonymously if you wish) at [email protected].
  • SUBSCRIBE: Sign up to LabourList’s morning email here for the best briefing on everything Labour, every weekday morning.
  • DONATE: If you value our work, please chip in a few pounds a week and become one of our supporters, helping sustain and expand our coverage.
  • PARTNER: If you or your organisation might be interested in partnering with us on sponsored events or projects, email [email protected].
  • ADVERTISE: If your organisation would like to advertise or run sponsored pieces on LabourList‘s daily newsletter or website, contact our exclusive ad partners Total Politics at [email protected].

More from LabourList

DONATE HERE

Proper journalism comes at a cost.

LabourList relies on donations from readers like you to continue our news, analysis and daily newsletter briefing. 

We don’t have party funding or billionaire owners. 

If you value what we do, set up a regular donation today.

DONATE HERE