The newly crowned Prime Minister’s Downing Street honeymoon could already be over, according to the latest YouGov poll.
The newly crowned Prime Minister’s Downing Street honeymoon could already be over (Image: Getty)
Andy Burnham’s Downing Street honeymoon could already be in serious jeopardy after an explosive new poll revealed growing support for Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch. The newly-crowned Prime Minister took over the keys to No 10 on July 20, after being elected unopposed as Labour leader days before.
But, despite taking power barely 10 days ago, a bombshell YouGov poll – conducted between July 21 and 22 – has delivered a stark warning to the Labour chief. While Mr Burnham has managed to secure a divided public rating in his first official favourability survey as head of Government, it is Tory leader Kemi Badenoch who is making dramatic strides in the court of public opinion. The YouGov polling reveals the public is split down the middle on the former Mayor of Greater Manchester, with 38% viewing him favourably and 35% viewing him negatively.
Kemi Badenoch scored the highest result for any Conservative leader in over five years (Image: Getty)
While his net score of +3 makes him more popular at launch than Keir Starmer (-3), Boris Johnson (-18), or Rishi Sunak (-19), he trails significantly behind former Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May, who stormed into office in 2016 with an enviable +12 net rating.
However, the real bombshell in the tracker is Kemi Badenoch’s rapid surge. The Tory leader’s latest net favourability score has rocketed to -11, her highest rating ever recorded by YouGov and the highest score for any Conservative leader in over five years.
A third (33%) of Britons now view her favourably, compared to a mere 19% this time last year. Crucially, negative perceptions of Mrs Badenoch have plummeted from 54% down to 44%, signalling a massive shift in public momentum toward the Tories as voters look closely at No 10’s new occupant.
While Mrs Badenoch celebrates a massive polling breakthrough, the picture is rather disastrous for Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.
Farage’s approval ratings have crashed after he resigned to trigger a by-election in Clacton (Image: Getty)
Following his decision to resign his Clacton seat to trigger a by-election amid scrutiny over his financial interests, Mr Farage’s popularity has crashed to historic depths. Just 22% of voters view the Reform leader favourably, while a punishing 68% view him negatively – including 56% who hold a “very unfavourable” opinion. His rock-bottom net score of -46 is the joint-lowest score recorded in the 10-year history of YouGov’s tracker, matching the depths reached by Keir Starmer shortly before his resignation last month.
Voters are also weighing in on Mr Burnham’s brand-new Cabinet after a sweeping reshuffle designed to steady the Labour Government. The surprise choice for No 11, John Healey, enjoys an encouraging start with a +5 net rating (22% favourable to 17% unfavourable), though 62% of voters admit they are still reserving judgment.
Returning to Housing and taking over Foreign Affairs, left-wing heavyweights Angela Rayner and Ed Miliband face steep public scepticism, with over half of the public holding an unfavourable view of both ministers. Home Secretary Mahmood and new Defence Secretary Wes Streeting both rebounded slightly, rising to net ratings of -14 and -27, respectively.
New Chancellor John Healey (Image: Getty)
YouGov’s political favourability tracker – July 21-22, 2026
- Andy Burnham (Labour): 38% favourable / 35% unfavourable (+3 net favourability)
- Kemi Badenoch (Conservatives): 33% favourable / 44% unfavourable (-11 net favourability)
- Ed Davey (Liberal Democrats): 22% favourable / 41% unfavourable (-8 net favourability)
- Zack Polanski (Greens): 13% favourable / 35% unfavourable (-26 net favourability)
- Nigel Farage (Reform UK): 14% favourable / 56% unfavourable (-46 net favourability)
Other senior politicians
- John Healey (Chancellor): 22% favourable / 17% unfavourable (+5 net favourability)
- Shabana Mahmood (Home Secretary): 21% favourable / 35% unfavourable (-14 net favourability)
- Louise Haigh (First Secretary of State and Cabinet Office Minister): 7% favourable / 21% unfavourable (-14 net favourability)
- Ed Miliband (Foreign Secretary): 23% favourable / 51% unfavourable (-27 net favourability)
- Wes Streeting (Defence Secretary): 17% favourable / 44% unfavourable (-27 net favourability)
- Angela Rayner (Housing Secretary): 22% favourable / 51% unfavourable (-28 net favourability)