Labour's Keir Starmer most popular opposition leader since Tony Blair, poll finds

But Boris Johnson still leads in most capable prime minister as Tories top polls

The public rate Keir Starmer's leadership so far higher than any opposition leader since Tony Blair, a new poll has found.

Two months into the job the Labour leader has a net +31 per cent approval rating, equal to that of Mr Blair in December 1994.

But Mr Starmer still trails Boris Johnson in the public's mind as the most capable prime minister, and his good ratings have yet to translate into much higher support for Labour.

The Tories still have a five per cent lead over the opposition party, with 43 per cent of the vote compared to Labour's 38 per cent.

Labour is up on its 2019 election result of 32 per cent but down on its 2017 result of 40 per cent of the vote, the Ipsos MORI political monitor poll found.

The Tory vote share remains rock-solid on its 2019 election result despite an increasing public perception that the government has mishandled the coronavirus outbreak.

40 per cent now think the government has handled coronavirus well, down 9 per cent from March, and and 44% badly badly, up 9 per cent.

Mr Starmer's +31 per cent approval compares to +23 per cent for David Cameron at the same stage in his leadership, +19 per cent for Ed miliband, and -1 per cent for his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn.

Overall 77 per cent of Labour voters are satisfied with Mr Starmer's performance.

The next UK general election is schedule to be held on Thursday 2 May 2024, in line with the Fixed Term Parliaments Act – though the government has said it might change the rules.

Gideon Skinner, head of political research at Ipsos MORI, said: “Labour will of course be encouraged that Keir Starmer is achieving comparable leader satisfaction ratings to Tony Blair and David Cameron when they led the opposition, as both went on to become general election winners.

"However this is still very early days – it’s not unusual to see a honeymoon period for a new leader.

"And there is an important difference – Boris Johnson is still more popular than John Major and Gordon Brown were when Blair and Cameron achieved their best scores. With concerns about the economy and the coronavirus high, how the two leaders handle these over the next few months will be crucial.”