Labour Leads Early Polls in the Wake of Andy Burnham’s “Bounce”

A More in Common poll conducted in the first week of Andy Burnham’s premiership found Labour at 28 %, ahead of Reform (24 %), the Conservatives (22 %) and the Greens (8 %). The Liberal Democrats were at 12 %. The same survey projected that, if replicated at a general election, Labour would win 268 seats, the Conservatives 120, and Reform 109.

iNews

Earlier polling by BMG Polling for *The i Paper* (before Burnham took office) placed Labour at 27 % versus Reform’s 26 %. A YouGov poll released the following Monday showed Labour and Reform level at 22 % each, with the Conservatives at 21 %. Deltapoll data from earlier in the month recorded Labour and Reform both at 28 %, while the FindOutNow poll indicated Labour gaining three points to narrow Reform’s lead to two points.

iNews

These figures mark the first time in 16 months that Labour has topped a national poll and the first occasion since April 2025 that Reform has not led.

iNews

Burnham’s first-week agenda included a £340 million programme to end rough sleeping, a VAT cut on energy bills projected to save households about £45 a year, reduced business rates for pubs and venues, and a bus-fare cap cut from £3 to £2 per journey.

iNews

He added that his focus was on “Britain believing again” and that future judgment would rest on the Budget and his ability to tackle the cost-of-living crisis.

iNews

• “It had cut through and people got the idea that ‘every little helps’ – he’d demonstrated the politics of ‘trying’. They weren’t saying they were fully sold, but they were saying we’ll give him a hearing which Starmer had lost,” — Tryll

iNews

• “So much of their success came through dominating the attention economy and yet the Clacton by-election and their wider struggles are making it much harder for them to own the agenda like they did last year,” — Luke Tryl, in common’s director

iNews

• “Burnham has started well, with his new communications strategy and early policy announcements being well-received by the commentariat, and this will trickle down to the public,” — Chris Hopkins

iNews

• “But ultimately he will be judged not on his TikToks, but on his Budget, on his ability to address the rising cost of living, and on his ability to govern effectively. For all of those, it is far too early to tell whether Burnham is an improvement on what has come before.” — The Prime Minister

iNews

• “I am talking a lot about Britain believing again – and I’m not going to apologise for that,” — Andy Burnham

iNews