Labour was rocked on the eve of its party conference as it was revealed just than one in four Britons think Jeremy Corbyn is doing a good job as leader.
Mr Corbyn’s ratings for both leadership and likeability have plunged in the year since Labour’s last conference, found Ipsos MORI.
Three years into his leadership, his scores are akin to those of Ed Miliband and William Hague at similar points in their careers, and worse than Gordon Brown’s. All three went on to lose general elections.
The exclusive survey for the Evening Standard reveals how badly Mr Corbyn’s personal brand has been tarnished in a year in which he was criticised by Jewish leaders for failing to root out anti-Semites from Labour’s ranks.
Key findings show:
Just half of Labour supporters are satisfied with Mr Corbyn’s performance, down from 71 per cent in October last year to 48 per cent now. Among the general public as a whole, just 24 per cent think he is doing a good job, down from 42 per cent.
Two-thirds of the public say they do not like Mr Corbyn, which is sharply up from 48 per cent a year ago.
Just 32 per cent say they like him, down from 46 per cent in September 2017.
It is Mr Corbyn’s lowest score for likeability and similar to those achieved by Mr Miliband before he lost the 2015 election and by Gordon Brown in 2008.
The research points to Mr Corbyn being the problem rather than his party, because Labour’s “like” rating has gone up. One in three say they like Labour but dislike its leader, up from one in five a year ago. Among Labour supporters, the proportion who dislike Mr Corbyn has doubled from 18 to per cent to 37 per cent in a year.
Asked if he had the makings of a good Prime Minister, Mr Corbyn’s score slipped since July from 31 per cent to 27.
In a head-to-head with Theresa May for who would be a better PM, Mr Corbyn is beaten by 46-37.
Comparisons with past party leaders at around three years into office do not augur well for Mr Corbyn’s election chances. Mr Miliband was on 24 per cent in 2013, Mr Brown was on 35 in April 2010, and Mr Hague was on 29. John Major was on 21 per cent in 1993, four years before his Government was routed by triple-winner Tony Blair, whose score at the three-year mark was 70 per cent.
Gideon Skinner, head of political research at Ipsos MORI, said “Labour’s brand as the party of the heart is as strong as ever. And dissatisfaction with the Government is high. But the gains Jeremy Corbyn made over the election campaign in his public image have fallen away over the last year.
“Labour supporters are still attached to the party, but no longer feel quite the same affection for its leader.”
Read More
Ipsos MORI interviewed 1,070 adults across GB by phone from September 14 to 18. Data are weighted. Details at www.ipsos-mori.
