Majority of British people call for change of Labour leader

London, Jan 31 (Prensa Latina) More than half of the British population believes the Labour Party should replace its leader and Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, according to a poll published by BMG Research.

January 31, 2026
10:15

The survey details that support for Starmer as party and government leader was expressed by only 21 percent of those polled, while 51 percent favored choosing a new Labour leader. Twenty-eight percent did not know how to answer.

Meanwhile, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, leads by a wide margin as the preferred candidate to succeed Starmer, with 24 percent support.

He is followed, with only four percent each, by Health Minister Wes Streeting and former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.

Local experts suggest that Burnham’s exclusion from a recent parliamentary selection process by the Labour executive committee was a maneuver by Starmer to neutralize a popular rival, while the move highlights the prime minister’s internal fragility.

The poll, conducted on January 28 and 29 with 1,500 people, reflects growing discontent with the current leadership of the governing party.

This data represents a serious setback for Starmer, who is facing pressure to reconnect with the party’s base.

jdt/jav/jha/amp