LONDON—A year into his tenure at No 10, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s focus on foreign affairs, including mediating between Europe and the US, is being overshadowed by a stark reality at home: his approval rating is plumbing depths matched by few other Western leaders.
Recent polling underscores the challenge. A late August YouGov pan-European survey revealed a net favourability rating of -47%, with only 22% of the British public holding a favourable opinion of the Prime Minister. This data, collected before the disruption of Angela Rayner’s resignation and the subsequent cabinet reshuffle, paints a picture of deep domestic dissatisfaction. Starmer finds himself in the unenviable position of being the second most unpopular leader in the survey, surpassed only by France’s embattled President Emmanuel Macron, who registered a net favourability of -55%.
Against this backdrop of global focus and domestic decline, details are emerging from within Starmer’s image strategy team that reveal the intense pressure and often comical advice aimed at reshaping the Prime Minister’s public persona.
“Prime Minister,” one image strategist reportedly advised, cutting straight to the heart of the matter, “you have the face of a prosecutor. Unless you change that, your dark demeanor will not improve.”
Starmer’s response, “I try to smile as much as I can, too,” was met with a brutal assessment: “Your smile looks like a goldfish suffering from oxygen deprivation. You shouldn’t force yourself to smile.”
The critique extended to the Prime Minister’s attire. “Prime Minister, you always wear the same clothes,” another staff member pressed. “Sometimes, wear casual clothes when you appear in the media.” Starmer, however, maintained his characteristic pragmatism: “I believe in cherishing and continuing to wear the few suits I have.”
Perhaps most telling was the attempt to inject levity into his often-austere speeches. “Mix some jokes into your speech. Your speeches make people uneasy,” a staffer pleaded, only to be met with Starmer’s deadpan query: “What’s a joke? I’ve never heard of it or said anything like it.”
In a final attempt to motivate the Prime Minister by leveraging the unpopularity of his counterpart across the Channel, a strategist introduced a comparison to Macron. “France’s Macron also has a low approval rating. But he carries himself with confidence. Do you know why?”
“I don’t know,” Starmer admitted.
The strategist’s reply—“It’s because of you”—left the intended meaning ambiguous, yet underscored the high-stakes political rivalry and the shared fate of Europe’s two most unpopular leaders. While Starmer may be gaining international respect for his diplomatic efforts, the road to securing domestic confidence remains a steep and, according to his own staff, deeply unfunny climb.
All names of people and organizations appearing in this story are pseudonyms
How Keir Starmer’s polling became one of the worst in the west – in charts
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