Disrespected Britain punishing Starmer in local and devolved elections

Respect Crisis, a new report from the UCL Policy Lab and More in Common, launched following the local and devolved elections, shows why voters have deserted the government to the left and right. In large-scale national polling and focus groups, the report found that three-quarters (75 per cent) of the public say the Government has little or no respect for them.

The report also found that Reform and Nigel Farage were at this stage managing to win the respect battle, with Reform currently ahead when it comes to respecting those who work hard. Just 30 per cent think Labour respects people who work hard, compared to 43 per cent who say the same about Reform UK. 

This finding builds on early work, The Respect Agenda by the UCL Policy Lab and More in Common, which found that voters wanted more than anything for politicians to respect ordinary people. Speaking as results came in, Marc Stears, Director, UCL Policy Lab, spoke about the hope so many had placed in the Labour government to reconnect with ordinary people. 

“The gap between the governed and the governing has been growing for decades now, and this new polling suggests it is continuing to widen. Just under two years ago, millions of people hoped the election of a Labour government would turn things around, and as we have seen overnight, many of them are clearly disappointed with what has followed. The challenge facing the government now could not be starker: convince the public that it understands and appreciates the challenges they face or risk being replaced by more extreme forces on both the left and the right.”

The hope that Sir Keir Starmer could bank on voters seeing them as stable has also failed. Far from being seen as stable, Keir Starmer's Government is seen as more chaotic than Rishi Sunak's Conservative Government. With a head-to-head, the public is twice as likely to describe Starmer’s government as “chaotic".

The cost of living remains central to voter concerns, but only three in ten say the Prime Minister is prioritising it.

As the results continue to come in, Luke Tryl, Director, More in Common, spoke about the need for the Labour Govenemnt to reconnect and respect ordinary people if it’s to have any chance of recovery. With both Reform and the Greens benefiting from the Respect Crisis.

“As the election results show Labour is on course for historic losses in Scotland, Wales, and across much of England, this research finds that voter anger is driven by a sense of ‘disrespect’ from a Government that is self-serving and doesn’t represent ordinary people. Meanwhile, both Reform UK and the Greens are benefiting from a sense that they are more likely to respect people’s hard work and effort.”

“If Labour is going to get a second hearing, either with the current Prime Minister or someone else, a focus on “deliverism” alone won’t cut it; the public wants someone who can truly demonstrate they understand and can address the priorities of communities across the UK” he said.

Read the full report and understand more about how a Respect Crisis is driving British politics here.