Poll: Farage beats Starmer hands down with voters but one key factor is his achilles heel

Nigel Farage has been rated more favourably than Sir Keir Starmer in almost every key area of leadership, according to a new Ipsos poll – but voters still think the Prime Minister is more honest.

The Reform UK leader came out on top when respondents were asked who pays more attention to detail, who is a stronger leader and who is more in touch with ordinary people.

In a head-to-head comparison between Mr Farage, Sir Keir and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, the Reform boss emerged as the frontrunner across the board – apart from when it came to honesty, reports The Telegraph.

While 33 per cent of voters viewed Sir Keir as honest, just 29 per cent said the same of Mr Farage.

The poll comes as Reform soars in popularity, overtaking both Labour and the Conservatives, following May’s local election success in which the party gained over 600 councillors and seized Runcorn and Helsby from Labour.

Mr Farage was described as having “a lot of personality” by more than half of respondents, compared to just 21 per cent for Sir Keir. He also scored 37 per cent for being a capable leader and 41 per cent for being strong, while Sir Keir trailed with 31 per cent and 26 per cent respectively.

Despite leading Labour to a massive 174-seat majority, Sir Keir has endured a rocky start to his premiership, suffering the biggest post-election approval slump in modern political history.

Internal divisions have already seen ministers struggle to push through major policies. The Prime Minister was recently forced into a major climbdown on welfare reforms following a significant rebellion from his backbenchers.

Meanwhile, Rachel Reeves has also come under pressure, with critics blasting the decision to scrap universal winter fuel payments for pensioners – a move she’s since partially reversed.

Confidence in the Chancellor’s longevity is also in doubt, with only 25 per cent of voters expecting her to still be in the role by the next general election.

Belief in Sir Keir’s ability to understand Britain’s problems has nosedived by 18 per cent since last year’s general election.

Even in a crisis, voters now view Mr Farage as the more competent leader, with 27 per cent backing him compared to 26 per cent for Sir Keir. Ms Badenoch lagged behind on 18 per cent.