Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer are neck and neck in popularity amongst UK citizens, according to data from YouGov, but a poll of Kingston residents indicates a Labour government would be favoured.
In a YouGov survey comparing the popularity of the Prime Minister and the leader of the opposition amongst UK citizens, figures show that this month Johnson has managed to regain his lead by two per cent.
These new figures mark a change in the political tide, as Starmer had managed to remain more popular than Johnson since August last year.
However, Johnson’s two per cent lead is still a significant decrease in popularity compared to his 24 per cent lead in April 2020.
Johnson’s handling of the devastating effects of the pandemic has provoked huge criticism from the public and the media over the past year, which is likely to have facilitated his loss in popularity.
Johnson hit the biggest slump in popularity during November 2020, when the majority of voters said they would support Keir Starmer instead, giving the leader of the opposition a 10 per cent lead.
Johnson’s popularity seems to have risen again, along with the rollout of the Covid vaccines.
But 34 per cent of participants said in February that they were not sure who would be a better Prime Minister, making it an open playing field for the two rivals to win the favour of the British public.
Kingston residents want a Labour government
Many Kingston residents do not seem to share other UK citizens’ sentiments in forgiving Johnson for his failings in 2020.
Though the local MP for Kingston and Surbiton Ed Davey is a Liberal Democrat, and Labour tends to come third after the Conservatives in elections, a Facebook poll of 428 Kingston residents suggests Labour is most popular.
The majority (57 per cent) of participants said they would vote for the Labour party if a general election was held now.
Only 18 per cent said they would vote Conservative, smaller factions opted to choose the Monster Raving Loony Party or Reform UK, and 28 per cent said they did not know or want to choose.
These results may be more representative of the voting demographic of the Kingston Neighbourhood Facebook page, where the poll took place, as it suggests the members of this group are significantly more likely to be Labour supporters.
On the poll, one Kingston resident commented: “I work in PPE and the Tories are absolutely ransacking the NHS.”
Another said: “I’m sure I could do a better job than Boris.”
Do other Londoners feel the same?
In another survey by YouGov, carried out on February 11 and 12, 1,704 UK citizens were asked how well they thought Boris Johnson had responded to the coronavirus outbreak.
Out of the 204 participants from London, 23 per cent said they felt Johnson had done a good job of responding, whereas 66 per cent said they felt his response was bad.
These results contrast dramatically to the answers given by participants from other areas in the South of England; 47 per cent said Johnson had done a good job, and 46 per cent said he had responded badly.
