Reacting to the results of the survey, one Labour MP admitted ‘if this had been Boris Johnson – Keir Starmer would have been calling for him to resign’.
Keir Starmer’s appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador is under close scrutiny (Image: PA)
The Prime Minister faces a crisis of trust with only a minority of Brits now seeing the Labour leader as someone who acts “ethically”. A mere six per cent of Britons now think Sir Keir Starmer behaves in a “very ethical” way – with fewer than three in 10 (28%) seeing him as “fairly ethical”.
Sir Keir is facing intense scrutiny over his appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador, with newly released documents showing he was warned Mandelson’s relationship with sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein continued after he was “first convicted of procuring an underage girl in 2008”.
YouGov polling reveals nearly one in four Britons (24%) think Sir Keir behaves in a “very unethical” way. Nearly one in five (19%) think he behaves in a “fairly unethical” way.
The released documents did not contain the Prime Minister’s response to the official assessment of the risks of appointing Mandelson and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the “whole thing stinks of a cover up” – an accusation refuted by Downing Street.
In a further blow to the Prime Minister, polling by Techne shows fewer than one in five voters (19%) are “very” or “fairly” confident the Government will be able to deal with the country’s priorities in the next 12 months. Sixty-seven per cent are “less” or “not at all” confident. The polling comes as zero economic growth was recorded in January – down from 0.1% growth in December.
A Labour MP said the “wheels have come off” for Sir Keir, adding: “Obviously, he had no ethics in deciding he wanted to appoint Mandelson.”
The source added: “I have no doubt that if this had been Boris Johnson doing this Keir Starmer would have been the first one calling for him to resign.”
The MP suspects there will be a move against the PM after the May local government and Welsh and Scottish parliament elections.
Pointing to the lack of growth, the Labour veteran said: “Unless something magically happens in the next six months, they’ve failed.”
Kevin Hollinrake, the chairman of the Conservative Party, said: “It is increasingly clear Keir Starmer cannot be trusted, and the public know it.
“His weak leadership and repeated lapses in judgment are leaving the country adrift. From the Mandelson affair to a string of U-turns and attempts to keep information from Parliament, there is a pattern of secrecy and poor decisions where the public expects honesty and accountability. The public expects better from a Prime Minister.”
The most recent Techne poll puts Reform UK in first place (27%), ahead of the Conservatives on 18%, with Labour and the Greens tied on 17%.
A Green Party spokesperson said: “The public have made up their mind on Keir Starmer, and know that his one guiding principle is to serve the powerful, not ordinary people; a man who has allowed the US to use British airbases for an illegal war in Iran, [who favoured] welfare cuts for the vulnerable rather than [taxing] the wealthy and [promoted] authoritarian polices likes curbs to peaceful protest and jury trials rather than [defending] human rights. He has no ethics and needs to go.”
Carolyn Harris gave a strong defence of the Prime Minister’s character (Image: Getty)
However, Carolyn Harris, the deputy leader of Welsh Labour, said: “While the likes of Farage and Polanski serve their own self-interest, Keir Starmer is driven by a deep sense of public duty. I’ve worked closely with Keir and I know that everything he does is geared towards changing our country so it works for working people again.
“He knows the pressure families are facing and he wants to use every lever he has to make life better for them. That’s why he got into politics and that sense of duty to the British people lies at the very heart of everything he and his government does.”