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The Political Landscape in the United Kingdom

by Dr. Canan Atilgan

A Review Six Months After the Change of Government

Europe is shifting politically to the right. Across the continent, right-wing populist parties are gaining influence or are already part of governing coalitions. At first glance, the United Kingdom seems to be an exception. Six months ago, Keir Starmer led the Labour Party to power with a supermajority. However, a closer look at public opinion and current polling reveals that the British public has not shifted to the left—quite the opposite. It is steadily moving to the right—on various issues and at different speeds, but increasingly away from Labour. Over the past six months, the proportion of voters supporting the right-wing political bloc has risen from 38 per cent to nearly 50 per cent. The political landscape of Britain is undergoing significant change.
January 22, 2025 Order details

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The beginning of Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership has not been the fresh start many had hoped for. It has been a challenging start—so challenging that, unless Starmer manages to regain control of the situation, questions could soon arise about whether he should lead the party into the next election. His approval ratings are surprisingly low. According to an Ipsos poll, Starmer is the most unpopular prime minister after such a short time in office. This is not solely due to his personality. Starmer’s agenda enjoys far less public support than his parliamentary majority might suggest. Numerous constituency-level polling analyses of voter intentions indicate that Labour could lose between 150 and 200 seats—just months after taking office.

The full-length publication is only available in German.

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Dr. Canan Atilgan

Dr. Canan Atilgan

Head of International Office United Kingdom and Ireland

canan.atilgan@kas.de +44 (0)20 7834 4119

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