Toxic and Hateful: Why Keir Starmer is being hidden from voters

Two years ago, Keir Starmer led Labour to a landslide victory in the UK parliamentary elections, ending 14 years of Conservative rule. Today, his rating barely reaches 18%, and before the local elections on May 7, the party effectively removed the prime minister from the campaign: because of his "toxic image", they do not want to see him near the voters. Why the head of the British government is looking more and more like a "lame duck" and whether the vote could provoke a coup within the Labor Party — in the Izvestia article.

From a winner to a liability

Local elections will be held in the UK on Thursday. Voters will determine the composition of councils in England, as well as the parliaments of Scotland and Wales. The current campaign is extraordinary: It will be the first major review of the government's work since 2024, and its results could seriously affect the cabinet of Cyrus Starmer.

The party is approaching the elections in a difficult position — only 18% of Britons said they were ready to vote for it. For the first time in a hundred years, Labour is in danger of "losing" Wales. Polls show that one of the main political forces in the country seems to be heading for the worst result in local elections in its history.

The Prime minister himself became the main problem. "It's really toxic. There's a deep-rooted aversion to him, and it's spreading in all directions. This does not apply to just one group... He is simply considered a completely insincere, two-faced person. Starmer has no followers, he only has enemies — it's unbelievable," an unnamed Labor member told The Telegraph.

To prevent the anti-rating of the head of government from dragging the party down, he was practically removed from the election campaign. For comparison, over the past two months, Starmer has participated in only 11 campaign events, while Conservative leader Cami Beidnock has held 41 meetings, and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has held 71.

But the prime minister's position is not limited to low support. Now the question arises: will he be able to stay at the head of the party in principle? Last week, talks about Starmer's future became one of the main topics among his fellow party members, The Guardian writes. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Health Minister Wes Streeting are among the possible successors.

At the same time, some Labor members believe that Starmer should set the time frame for his departure himself. According to one scenario, if the election results turn out to be as bad as the polls predict, a group of party members can directly let the prime minister know that his time is up.

However, the Labor Party is not yet ready for an open revolt. "We have to play our part, and we certainly don't need chaos. This is not in the interests of anyone," one of the party members explained to British media.

The crisis of expectations

After Brexit, British politics has not emerged from the turbulence. In 2022, after a series of scandals, Boris Johnson resigned as prime minister, then the short-lived government of Liz Truss collapsed amid financial chaos, and Rishi Sunak lost the election in 2024 amid Conservative fatigue. Now the clouds are gathering over Keir Starmer. There are fewer scandals around him so far, but he has been in office for a relatively short time.

The most famous story is related to the appointment of Peter Mandelson as the British Ambassador to the United States. It was Starmer who insisted on his candidacy. As a result, it turned out that the diplomat was connected with Jeffrey Epstein, convicted of sexual crimes. Mandelson was later recalled from Washington, and the London Police launched an investigation amid accusations that he may have passed sensitive government information to the scandalous financier.

However, for voters, everyday problems are much more important: falling living standards, rising prices and the feeling that the government does not understand how to deal with this.

Alexander, a London resident, admits in an interview with Izvestia that fuel prices have become one of the illustrative examples. Against the background of tension around the Strait of Hormuz, the cost of a liter of gasoline has reached about $1.9 per liter. Despite the fact that the trend is global, the government does not have a convincing answer to the question of what to do about it.

— Hence the questions to him, and the expectation that he will move, give way to someone else. Of course, external factors are putting pressure on the situation. But again, the question for the prime minister is: what will you do? But he doesn't have a clear plan in this regard," the source points out.

In addition, Starmer was expected to take some initiatives that would distinguish him from his predecessors. But, according to Alexander, he showed himself not as a left—wing politician or reformer, but as a rather indecisive and not the most far-sighted leader who does not always listen to advice - in particular, in the case of the same Mandelson.

— The Labor Party has already had enough time in power to show at least the direction of change.: that the situation is either improving, or there is a clear path to improvement. But nothing like that is visible yet. From what they've done, it doesn't feel like it's leading the country into a better future. In addition, Starmer borrows ideas from the right, in particular in relation to migrants. In general, there is still no trace of the leader who will lead the country out of the crisis," he believes.

The British government has repeatedly given reason to doubt its own course. First, the cabinet cut winter payments to pensioners for heating, then backed down. Then he announced harsh cuts in social security and disability benefits, and backed down again. They wanted to postpone the local elections in 30 councils, but after criticism they refused.

— Each 180-degree turn works against Starmer. One gets the feeling that the government does not have any clear strategy at all," the Izvestia source explained.

What the experts say

According to polls, Nigel Farage's Reform UK and the Green Party can perform well in local elections. The former harshly attack the government from the right, primarily for its migration policy. The latter are waging a center-left campaign with an emphasis on ecology and environmental protection.

— This means a lot to the British: they are concerned about water, reservoirs, green spaces, pollution and other environmental problems. In any case, the Greens are running a very energetic, active and vibrant campaign. Now, by and large, they are right after Reform in the national ranking," Nikolai Topornin, a political scientist and director of the Center for European Information, said in an interview with Izvestia.

At the same time, local elections have their own specifics, the expert continues. Voters often vote not so much for a party brand as for people they know in their district. But the general trend, according to Topornin, is obvious: the Labor Party may be hit, and after that the question of Starmer's resignation may arise.

— The drop in his rating is very serious, and the local elections will only confirm the general balance of power in the country. It is clear that the party will not go to early parliamentary elections now, because it will lose them with a bang. But there is not much time left for the Labor Party to rebuild itself and restore the trust of voters," the political scientist points out.

In his opinion, the youth left wing of the Labor Party may pose a particularly tough question about the future of the prime Minister. These are usually politicians and activists under the age of 35 who believe that Starmer is leading the party in the wrong direction, and with him it risks coming to a fiasco in the next parliamentary elections.

— The question is how many seats the Labor Party will lose. In total, about 5,000 mandates are being played, and if they lose at least 500-700, it will be a very powerful defeat. Of course, it is difficult to directly project local elections onto future parliamentary ones — they have their own specifics. But this is a litmus test that will show the attitude of the British towards the current government," explains Toporin.

The success of Reform UK is of particular importance. Farage's party is currently leading in the national rankings, and this may change the balance of power by the next parliamentary elections. If Reform continues to grow, it will be able to receive not just a few mandates, but significantly more — up to hundreds, the expert believes. And this could deal a blow to the traditional two-party system in the UK, where power has been shifting from Conservatives to Labor and back for decades.

At the same time, Starmer's possible resignation will not fundamentally change anything for Russia, says Natalia Eremina, a political scientist and professor at St. Petersburg State University. According to her, the British line is determined not only by the specific figure of the prime minister, but also by the NATO strategy and the agreements already concluded. Some of these agreements were signed before Starmer, and some were signed during his lifetime.

— The new prime Minister will respect both the agreements signed by Starmer and the obligations inherited from his predecessors. Therefore, it is hardly worth expecting any changes. Moreover, serious bets have been placed on the international arena, and the British are unlikely to abandon them now. They themselves are trapped in the anti-Russian struggle, and hardly anyone can get out of it now," the Izvestia interlocutor sums up.