UK now trusts Reform as much as Labour on the economy: poll
As all eyes turn to the Spending Review on Wednesday (11 June), only three in ten Britons expect the Labour Government to improve public finances.
Polling conducted by think tank More in Common shows that since the General Election, the net share of Britons who think Labour will improve the lives of people like them (compared to those who believe they will not) has collapsed from +8% to – 43%.
“Though economic expectations of the government are low, they have recovered slightly from the aftermath of the Spring Statement. Britons are now slightly more likely to think the government will improve public services,” More in Common said.
Both Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer go into this Spending Review announcement with very low approval ratings – just 14% think Reeves is doing a good job and 19% think Starmer is doing a good job.
Notably, the data shows that the public now trusts Reform as much as Labour on the economy. Britons are as likely to say they trust Reform as Labour.
“In a head-to-head between Keir Starmer and Nigel Farage, the public is split. Britons tend to think Reform poses a threat to the economy, but many think it’s worth the risk. Britons support Reform’s economic policies, although Starmer’s Truss attack erodes support. Britons support Reform’s policies on tax and welfare,” More in Common said.
“But a split-sample experiment shows that the comparison to the mini budget reduces support for their economic policies. Cabinet divisions have cut through – Reform is now seen as the most united party (though this has fallen over the past week), Britons see Labour and Conservatives as divided.”
Another major concern is that perceptions around the Spending Review are already sour. Only 15% of the country say they expect the decisions announced in the spending review will benefit the country, including only a third of 2024 Labour voters.
“The public is generally pessimistic about the Spending Review. Many say they expect it to have little impact (26%) or even to damage the
country (32%). Conservative voters are particularly negative,” More in Common said.
