Boris Johnson Still 'Best Choice' For Prime Minister, Beating Labour’s Keir Starmer, UK Poll Reveals

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson found his personal poll ratings in tatters despite winning a vote of no confidence by a finer margin than had been expected earlier week amid fallout from “partygate”.

Despite damaging fall-out from “partygate”, the spiralling cost of living crisis and a barely dodged no-confidence vote, Boris Johnson is still considered a better prime minister than Labour's Sir Keir Starmer, according to the latest Observer poll.

The Tory PM boasts a two-point lead over his opponent, the Opinium figures revealed.

When it comes to who would make the best Prime Minister, Johnson has returned to lead Starmer by 2 percentage points, despite the vote of confidence held on Monday.

28% think Johnson would be best (+2)
26% think Johnson would be best (-2)
35% said "None of these" pic.twitter.com/iwdsGfpVgK

— Opinium (@OpiniumResearch) June 11, 2022

When it comes to who would make the best prime minister, Johnson has shot up to 2 percentage points ahead of Starmer.

28 percent think Johnson would be best (+2)

26 percent think Starmer would be best (-2)

35 percent said "None of these"

Similary, @Keir_Starmer's approval rating remains level on -6.

30% approve of the job he is doing (nc)
36% disapprove of the job he is doing (nc) pic.twitter.com/rHdt6kHfjL

— Opinium (@OpiniumResearch) June 11, 2022

Similarly, Starmer's approval rating remains steady at -6.

30 percent approve of the job he is doing

36 percent disapprove of the job he is doing

Half of those polled still cannot imagine Labour’s leader Starmer as prime minister, whereas 37 percent can. This is, however, a marked improvement on the ratings of the previous party leader, Jeremy Corbyn.

Turning to Labour, half (50%) still cannot imagine Keir Sarmer as prime minister, while 37% can. However, this is a noticeable improvement on Jeremy Corbyn’s ratings. pic.twitter.com/JrO45UV3Zj

— Opinium (@OpiniumResearch) June 11, 2022

Elsewhere in the poll, the public in general think that Johnson’s scandal-mired leadership has been bad for the economy (59 percent).

The public generally think Johnson’s leadership has been bad for the economy (59%), the kind of country they want the UK to be (56%), or the UK’s reputation internationally (55%). pic.twitter.com/3PnuOmr0wN

— Opinium (@OpiniumResearch) June 11, 2022

Nevertheless, Starmer’s party clings to a slim two-point lead, slipping from the three-point lead in the poll a fortnight ago.

Labour are on 36 percent of the vote, the Tories are up one point at 34 percent, the Lib-Dems are on 13 percent, and the Greens on 6 percent, poll figures show.

A Tory lead has not been recorded since 6 December.

The results of the poll come as Labour MPs have supposedly been critical of their party leader’s performance at Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) every Wednesday.

After the confidence vote held by Tory MPs over Johnson’s leadership, when 148 of his own MPs voted against him, many within Labour’s ranks have felt liberated to slam Starmer’s lacklustre line of questioning.

Angela Rayner, the Labour deputy leader, said in an interview with BBC’s Newscast that his past career as a lawyer reflected on his public appearances, suggesting that he should “put some more welly” into his speeches.

Another shadow cabinet minister was cited as saying:

“He is very much, ‘Here is the problem and this is the solution’. But there’s no sense of what the wider project is.”

According to Labour insiders, more details of what the party plans will be revealed at the party’s annual conference in the autumn, as they seek to make progress with important groups of voters.

The polls come as the Labour party appears to have a clear double-digit lead ahead of the 23 June by-election in Wakefield.

The seat is the sort of constituency both parties will throw everything at since it is seats such as this which are needed for a party to form a government at the next election.

“We know what needs to be done between now and the next election and are ticking everything off on the list... There’s no complacency but we remain confident of the strategy we have to get Keir to No 10,” a senior Labour source was cited as saying.