Andy Burnham became Prime Minister in July 2026 (Image: Getty)

The results of our poll (Image: DAILY EXPRESS)

An Express reader commenting under the username AT61, said: “No, I do not trust Andy Burnham, he said what he thought we wanted to hear, to get the public on side, he wasn’t voted in by the public, and he is not representing the public’s interests. He makes all these promises which cost money, money we don’t have, you can’t keep borrowing, and expecting the public to pick up the tab.”

Burnham made the speech this week (Image: Getty)

He also announced a controversial proposal to scrap the triple lock from 2030 to free up cash for his long-standing ambition to create an NHS-style care service in England. He also announced plans for greater public control over housing, water and energy.

Andy Burnham Rocked as Poll Exposes Just How Little Voters Trust Him

Andy Burnham has faced a fresh political test after a poll highlighted a sharp contrast between the Prime Minister’s personal ratings and the level of trust expressed by some voters.

The latest figures have emerged at a particularly important moment for Burnham, who used the Labour Party conference in Liverpool to set out a wide-ranging programme for his government, including changes to the state pension system, a proposed national care service, closer relations with the European Union and reforms to housing, water and energy.

One poll attracting attention was conducted among Express readers rather than being a representative national survey. Out of 7,507 people who took part, 6 per cent said they trusted Burnham, while 93 per cent said they did not and 1 per cent were undecided. The result reflects the views of those who chose to participate in the newspaper’s online poll and should not be treated as a measure of British public opinion as a whole.

That distinction is particularly important because other, professionally conducted polls have produced a substantially different picture of Burnham’s standing.

A striking difference between polls

YouGov’s nationally representative research conducted on August 27-28 among 2,079 adults found that 43 per cent of Britons used at least one positive word to describe Burnham, compared with 42 per cent who used at least one negative description. Common positive descriptions included “down to earth”, “different” and “likeable”.

Ipsos polling conducted between September 18 and 23 among 2,284 British adults also found that Burnham remained the only political leader tested with a positive net favourability rating.

In a hypothetical comparison of possible future governments, 52 per cent said they would prefer a Burnham-led Labour government to a Reform UK government led by Nigel Farage, while 28 per cent preferred the latter. The equivalent comparison with Kemi Badenoch and the Conservatives was 44 per cent to 30 per cent.

These figures show why claims that voters broadly do not trust Burnham need to be treated carefully.

There is evidence of continuing public support for him personally, but there are also signs that trust in Labour’s government and confidence in its ability to deliver remain more problematic.

The gap between Burnham and Labour

One of the most revealing findings from YouGov’s September research was the difference between attitudes towards Burnham and attitudes towards the Labour Party.

Although Burnham himself received a broadly balanced mix of positive and negative descriptions, Labour continued to face significantly more negative perceptions.

The proportion of people describing Labour as untrustworthy had fallen by 13 points since May, according to YouGov. Perceptions that the party was weak had fallen by 25 points, while views that Labour was unclear about what it stood for had dropped by 19 points. Perceptions that Labour was incompetent or out of touch had both fallen by 16 points.

The improvement coincided with Burnham becoming prime minister.

However, YouGov also found that sizeable minorities of people who had voted Labour in 2024 remained dissatisfied with the party. Between roughly a quarter and a third of those voters still viewed Labour as untrustworthy, incompetent, out of touch or unclear about its purpose.

That presents Burnham with a complicated political situation.

His personal image may be stronger than the government’s overall reputation, but the government’s policies will ultimately determine whether that advantage can be maintained.

The triple lock becomes a major test

One of the biggest challenges emerged during Labour’s conference when Burnham announced plans to change the state pension triple lock.

Under the existing system, the state pension rises each year by whichever is highest of inflation, average earnings growth or 2.5 per cent.

Burnham has promised that the triple lock will remain in place until 2030, honouring Labour’s manifesto commitment. However, legislation is planned that would change how the earnings element operates in future, with the government arguing that the revised mechanism would prevent unusually large increases when wages experience temporary spikes.

The government estimates that the change could reduce state pension spending by about £15 billion a year by the end of the 2030s and around £50 billion annually by 2050.

Those estimates have themselves been challenged. The Resolution Foundation said the eventual savings could vary considerably depending on economic conditions and which historical period was used as a comparison.

Burnham has linked the reform directly to his plans for a national care service in England.

That creates a clear political argument for the policy: reduce the long-term growth in pension expenditure and redirect some resources towards social care.

But the proposal also creates a difficult communication challenge because pensioners are a politically important group, and many depend heavily on the state pension.

Public opinion on the pension change

Interestingly, polling does not show uniform opposition to Burnham’s proposal.

A YouGov poll cited by The Guardian found that 48 per cent supported Burnham’s proposed change to the triple lock, compared with 28 per cent who opposed it.

That result contrasts with the historically strong support for retaining the triple lock.

The Guardian has reported that previous polling showed much higher support for maintaining the existing arrangement, particularly among pensioners. A Persuasion UK survey conducted during the conference period found 65 per cent support for keeping the triple lock, with support higher among people aged over 65.

The differences between questions matter.

Voters may support the idea of changing the mechanism when it is presented alongside a national care service, while still preferring the existing guarantee when asked about the triple lock in isolation.

For Burnham, explaining the connection between the two policies could therefore be central to the government’s political strategy.

Brexit creates another dividing line

Burnham also reopened the debate about Britain’s relationship with the European Union during his conference speech.

He said the government would use a future UK-EU summit to examine different options for closer relations.

The issue is potentially significant because Labour voters do not hold a single view on Brexit, while the broader electorate remains divided over the direction of Britain’s relationship with Europe.

The announcement has already attracted criticism from opponents who argue that Burnham risks reopening an issue that was settled through the 2016 referendum.

At the same time, supporters of closer EU relations argue that the economic relationship could be improved without reversing the referendum result immediately.

Whatever the eventual policy, Brexit provides another example of how Burnham is moving into politically sensitive territory.

The cost-of-living problem remains

Perhaps the more immediate challenge concerns living standards.

Ipsos found that 61 per cent of Britons believed the country was heading in the wrong direction, while only 15 per cent thought it was heading in the right direction. The same survey found that more than half of the public thought Labour was doing a bad job of reducing the cost of living.

That creates a potential gap between personal approval and satisfaction with government performance.

A prime minister can receive positive personal ratings while voters remain dissatisfied with prices, wages, housing, public services or the wider economy.

Ipsos specifically warned that Labour’s ability to deliver on the issues voters consider important would be crucial to its future ratings.

For Burnham, this may prove more consequential than individual controversies.

If voters begin to associate his government with improvements in household finances and public services, personal ratings could benefit. If expectations remain unmet, dissatisfaction with the government could increasingly affect perceptions of Burnham himself.

A strong personal rating does not mean unlimited trust

The current polling therefore presents a more complicated picture than the headline about voters supposedly having little trust in Burnham suggests.

The Express reader poll produced an overwhelmingly negative response, but it was a self-selecting online poll rather than a representative survey.

Professionally conducted research tells a different story.

YouGov found a near-even division between positive and negative descriptions of Burnham. Ipsos found that he had a positive net favourability rating and that voters preferred a Burnham-led government over the main alternatives in its hypothetical comparisons.

At the same time, neither poll suggests that Burnham’s government has solved its political problems.

The cost of living remains a major concern. Labour continues to face questions over trust and competence, despite improvements since Burnham became leader. And some of the government’s most important proposals, particularly the pension reforms, involve difficult trade-offs.

What Burnham faces next

The coming months will provide a clearer test of whether Burnham’s personal popularity can translate into lasting confidence in his government.

The Prime Minister has presented voters with an ambitious programme involving pensions, social care, Brexit, public services and economic reform.

Each policy carries potential benefits as well as political costs.

The pension reform will require Parliament to approve legislation. The proposed national care service will require substantial organisation and funding. Closer EU relations could reopen arguments about Brexit. And the government must still demonstrate progress on the cost of living.

Meanwhile, polling will continue to provide competing snapshots of public sentiment.

The most reliable conclusion from the available evidence is not that voters overwhelmingly distrust Burnham, nor that they universally support him. Instead, the surveys show a mixed picture: Burnham’s personal ratings have generally been stronger than Labour’s overall reputation, while significant concerns remain about government performance and trust.

The striking 93 per cent figure from the Express reader poll therefore illustrates opposition among a particular self-selecting audience rather than establishing a national level of distrust.

For Burnham, the more important challenge is whether his government’s policies can convert his relatively strong personal standing into sustained public confidence.

The answer will depend less on one online poll than on how voters respond to the government’s decisions — and whether they believe those decisions improve their everyday lives.

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