Buyer’s Remorse Grips Britain: Labour’s Deceptions Leave Even 20% Backing in Tatters

In July 2024, Keir Starmer’s Labour Party swept to power with a landslide in seats but a hollow victory in votes. With only 33.7% of the vote in an election where just 60% of eligible voters turned out, Labour secured the support of roughly 20% of the UK electorate—a record-low mandate for a governing party. This fragile foundation has since eroded further, as Starmer’s government stumbles through a litany of broken promises, fuelling widespread buyer’s remorse and plunging approval ratings to historic lows.

From the outset, Starmer’s campaign was built on pledges that quickly unravelled. He promised no tax hikes on working people, yet Chancellor Rachel Reeves unleashed a £40 billion tax raid, including national insurance increases, leaving households £770 poorer by Parliament’s end.

Pensioners, promised protection, were stripped of winter fuel payments for 10 million, a move Labour’s own 2017 analysis warned could push 100,000 into poverty and risk 4,000 deaths. Farmers, assured support, faced a 20% inheritance tax on assets over £1 million, sparking protests and accusations of betrayal. The WASPI women, once backed by Starmer and Angela Rayner for compensation, were abandoned, with claims dismissed despite earlier pledges of “fair and fast” support.

Starmer’s 2020 leadership pledges—once touted as “continuity Corbyn”—have been systematically ditched. Promises to abolish tuition fees, reverse corporation tax cuts, and invest £28 billion annually in a Green Prosperity Fund were quietly shelved, with Starmer admitting financial constraints trumped his commitments. His vow to curb bankers’ bonuses was dropped, protecting the wealthy while pensioners and farmers bore the brunt of cuts. Even his pledge to “smash the gangs” behind small boat crossings has proved false, with arrivals surpassing those under previous governments.

The public’s response has been brutal. Polls show Labour’s support plummeting to the low 20s, with Starmer’s approval rating worse than any modern prime minister at this stage, save Gordon Brown.

A Public First poll for The Telegraph reveals 53% of voters now view Starmer unfavourably, with only 25% believing he’s a good leader. Social media reflects this discontent, with posts branding Starmer a “compulsive liar” and his government an “international embarrassment.” The Southport riots, mishandled prison releases, and a clash with Elon Musk over gangs  of men from mainly Pakistani Muslim heritage who systematically have been sexually abusing under-age white girls, further tarnished his image, painting a picture of a leader out of touch and overwhelmed, especially as he’s shown no willingness to investigate.

But, then, we must note that he was the Director of Public Prosecutions who failed to take action against the BBC’s notorious serial sex offender, Jimmy Saville.

He has form.

Starmer’s government, elected by a mere fifth of the electorate, now faces a rebellion within its own ranks. Over 100 Labour MPs have signalled opposition to welfare cuts that could push 250,000 into poverty, including 50,000 children, exposing Starmer’s ruthless prioritization of fiscal targets over vulnerable citizens. While no formal rebellion has materialised in the House of Commons, this merely raises questions about whether Starmer’s leadership is suppressing dissent or simply delaying the inevitable clash.

With the rise of the impressive Ben Habib leading Advance UK and set to draw vast numbers away from Reform UK who are polling at 34%, and with Labour languishing, the electorate’s fleeting trust has evaporated.

Starmer’s claim of integrity lies in tatters, replaced by a growing consensus that his government is not just a failure but a betrayal of the few who backed it.