It’s not been a good week for Labour
A new Survation poll reveals that Labour are now polling at 33 per cent, a 5 point decrease from mid January, while the Tories remain steady at 39 per cent.
Much like football clubs get a new manager bounce, the positive vaccine numbers appear to have kept the Conservative government flying high in the polls despite their numerous mishaps, cronyism, hypocrisy and indecision over the past year.
Labour have failed to capitalise on this under the leadership of Keir Starmer, whose forensic approach is yet to bear fruit in the polls.
NEW Survation Poll – Westminster Voting Intention:
CON 39% (-1)
LAB 33% (-5)
LD 9% (+2)
GRN 7% (+2)
SNP 5% (+1)
OTH 6% (-)https://t.co/4FCh3QiaKp1,003 respondents, fieldwork 5-6 Feb. Changes w/ 12-13 Jan. pic.twitter.com/P9JccvIe0A
— Survation. (@Survation) February 12, 2021
With regard to personal approval ratings, however, Starmer leads Boris Johnson, though that gap is closing.
Johnson’s favourable ratings have gone up by four points, while his unfavourable ratings have gone down by seven points, in a brilliant week for the prime minister who has overseen the entire pandemic.
Starmer, meanwhile, has seen his favourable rating go down by two, his unfavourable rating go up by one, and his ‘neutral’ rating increase by two as well.
NEW Survation Poll – Leadership Favourability Ratings:
Boris Johnson / Keir Starmer
Net Rating: -3% (+12) / 3% (-5)
Favourable 40% (+4) / 35% (-3)
Unfavourable 43% (-7) / 32% (+1)1,003 respondents, fieldwork 5-6 Feb. Changes w/ 12-13 Jan. pic.twitter.com/VXmbN0QWrP
— Survation. (@Survation) February 12, 2021
So Johnson’s net rating is negative, yet he is still viewed more favourably. Starmer’s net rating is positive, but there is a large chunk of people who haven’t made their mind up on him yet.
So what can we read from this? Johnson is Marmite but enough people really like him for the Tories to remain steady at the top. And Starmer has failed to ignite a flame among the masses in his attempts to hold the government to account. When your ‘neutral’ score is 27 per cent, it might be time to unveil some policy ideas that go beyond ‘credibility’ and ‘not being Jeremy Corbyn’.
