Half of Voters Want Prime Minister Keir Starmer Ousted Before the Next Election

A BMG Research poll for The i Paper of 1,521 British adults on 29-30 April found 50 percent say Sir Keir Starmer should be removed as Prime Minister before the election; 23 percent opposed and 26 percent were undecided. Among Labour voters, 46 percent wanted him to stay and 41 percent favoured a change.

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Andy Burnham led those wanting a change with 21 percent support; Wes Streeting and Angela Rayner each attracted 4 percent. In prime-minister preference, Nigel Farage topped the list at 22 percent, followed by Starmer (16 percent), Conservative Kemi Badenoch (15 percent) and Green leader Zack Polanski (14 percent). In a head-to-head comparison with Burnham, Farage received 23 percent, Badenoch 17 percent, Polanski 16 percent, while Burnham secured 12 percent. Labour’s overall polling stood at 19 percent. By contrast, Sadiq Khan, another high-profile Labour mayor, drew only about 2 percent support among respondents who wanted a change.

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Robert Struthers, director of research at BMG, said the poll shows Burnham is the most popular alternative among Labour figures, that no other successor matches his support, that Burnham trails Starmer in prime-minister preference, and that Labour’s low 19 percent polling leaves little room for improvement.

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The poll shows a split within Labour’s electorate: while half of the public favours Starmer’s removal, 46 percent of Labour voters prefer him to stay. No alternative candidate commands support, and the most popular option, Burnham, cannot stand for leadership because he is not an MP.

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• “No other Labour frontrunner comes close, whether Rayner, Streeting, Miliband or any other.” — Robert Struthers, BMG

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• “By way of comparison, Burnham’s 21 per cent among those who want a change compares with Sadiq Khan – the other high-profile Labour mayor – at just 2 per cent.” — Robert Struthers, BMG

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• “Struthers said: “Our polling suggests Burnham performs slightly worse than Starmer when asked who would make the best prime minister against other party leaders.” — Robert Struthers, BMG

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• “That said, with Labour on 19 per cent and a historically unpopular Prime Minister, it is hard to see how things could get much worse.” — Robert Struthers, BMG

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The survey shows 50 percent of respondents support ousting Starmer, yet 46 percent of Labour voters oppose it. The poll also finds no Labour figure who has public backing and meets the constitutional requirement of being an MP, leaving a leadership gap.

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If a vacancy arises, Labour’s governing body will need to address the eligibility of successors such as Burnham, whose attempt to re-enter the Commons via a by-election was blocked. The party’s low polling and lack of a clear, eligible alternative indicate leadership debates will intensify before the next general election.

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