These are Labour’s most popular and unpopular policies during its first 18 months in power

A new analysis from More in Common reveals the stark contrast in how the British public perceives Labour’s key decisions during its first 18 months in government, with popular cost-of-living measures often failing to gain traction while controversial cuts remain front of mind for many.

The think tank’s ‘cut-through grid’, based on polling conducted around 6 February 2026, highlights a clear pattern: Labour’s most positively received policies tend to have lower public awareness, while its most unpopular moves dominate headlines and public memory even after U-turns.

The standout success is the increase in the national minimum wage, which boasts high visibility (88% of people are aware) and strong approval. Some 60% of Britons say it reflects well on the government, making it one of the few policies to win broad cross-party support and emerge as Labour’s clearest win so far.

Other popular interventions include the freeze on train fares (55% viewing it positively) and the freeze on prescription charges (66% saying it reflects well). 

Both enjoy solid approval among those who know about them, but alarmingly large shares of the public remain unaware: 38% had not heard of the train fare freeze, while nearly half (48%) were oblivious to the prescription policy. Analysts suggest these “missed opportunities” on everyday cost-of-living relief have been overshadowed by more negative stories.

The controversies haunting Labour 

On the flip side, two early controversies continue to haunt the government:

• The means-testing of the Winter Fuel Allowance for pensioners remains one of Labour’s most high-profile and disliked decisions. Awareness stands at 85%, with persistently strong negative sentiment – even after a partial reversal six months later. The U-turn itself attracted far less attention, leaving much of the original anger intact.
• Changes to farmers’ inheritance tax have similarly proved deeply unpopular and salient, with the policy (and its later adjustment) failing to fully repair the damage in public eyes.
  

The report warns that repeated U-turns risk portraying the government as chaotic, while failing to erase the harm from initial announcements. Popular cost-of-living steps, it argues, have too often been drowned out by these flashpoints.

Overall, the findings come against a backdrop of challenging polling for Keir Starmer’s administration in early 2026, with low net approval ratings and voter disillusionment on issues such as the cost of living, migration, and the NHS. This has been worsened by the ongoing Mandelson scandal. 

The More in Common research shows a common communication struggle for Starmer’s government: good news travels slowly, bad news sticks.

Now read: Britain’s economy limps along with 0.1% growth as construction nosedives and Bank slashes growth forecast