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Rishi Sunak’s popularity has plunged to its lowest point since taking office following his watering down of key climate pledges.

The prime minister’s net favourability rating has slumped to -45, according to a YouGov survey carried out days after his speech rowing back on net zero pledges.

The poll of more than 2,000 adults between 21 and 22 September showed the majority of Britons have an unfavourable view of Mr Sunak, rising from 67% in late August to 68%.

Politics Live: Keir Starmer gives first response after EU comments revealed

Just 23% said they had a positive view of the prime minister, down from 26% over the summer, when his net favourability rating was -41.

While Mr Sunak may have been hoping to receive some benefit from his net zero U-turn – which he claimed would save families money – his reputation among Tory voters remains effectively unchanged (they continue to be divided on the party leader, by 48% to 47%) as well as with Labour voters (who continue to overwhelmingly dislike him, at 90%).

However, his popularity has particularly taken a hit among Lib Dems voters, with just 12% saying they have a favourable view – a drop of more than half since late August, when the figure was 25%.

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Sunak ‘playing politics’ on climate?

Starmer’s favourability also drops

Mr Sunak’s unpopularity has not benefited Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer though, with 30% having a favourable view of him, a fall from 35% at the end of August.

A separate poll by IPSOS showed two-thirds of the public did not think the UK would meet its commitment to reach net zero by 2050, even before Mr Sunak made a raft of changes on how to get there.

Following the announcement, 48% said they were now even less confident the target would be met.

Those polled, however, were almost evenly split on whether they thought Mr Sunak had made the right decision on net zero with 47% saying he had and 46% saying he hadn’t.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak delivers a speech on the plans for net-zero commitments in the briefing room at 10 Downing Street, London. Picture date: Wednesday September 20, 2023.

Sunak ‘facing balancing act’

Gideon Skinner, head of UK politics at Ipsos, said this shows Mr Sunak is “facing a balancing act” to convince the public “he is still taking climate change seriously while also addressing concerns about the cost of living”.

In a speech from Downing Street on Wednesday, Mr Sunak insisted he was still committed to the legal target of reaching net zero by 2050, despite pushing back the deadline for phasing out gas boilers and petrol cars, while scrapping energy efficiency targets for landlords.

He said the policies risked adding extra costs onto individuals and his changes meant meeting net zero in a “pragmatic” way.

However, environment groups and industry leaders accused him of making a “false argument” saying green energy is cheaper for households and will boost jobs and investment.

Read more:
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The government’s Climate Change Committee also said it was “wishful thinking” to say the UK is still on the path to reaching net zero by the 2050 deadline.

Tory MPs are split, with some seeing scrapping expensive green policies as a vote winner and those on the environmental wing worried about the impact on investment and the UK’s international reputation on climate policies.

Although Mr Sunak denied acting politically, the policy shift has been seen as part of a broader attempt to create dividing lines with Labour ahead of the next general election.

The Tories’ annual party conference slogan is “long-term decisions for a brighter future” – giving a flavour of what is to come.

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Since the net zero announcement, it has been reported that Mr Sunak wants to shift towards a baccalaureate exam system for A-Level pupils and ban smoking for the next generation – though the latter is something Labour has also said it will look at.

On net zero, Labour has said it will reverse the delay to the petrol cars ban and will set out its position on gas boilers in due course.

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Just 25% of public think Sir Keir Starmer will win next election – with welfare row partly to blame

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Just 25% of public think Sir Keir Starmer will win next election - with welfare row partly to blame

Only a quarter of British adults think Sir Keir Starmer will win the next general election, as the party’s climbdown over welfare cuts affects its standing with the public.

A fresh poll by Ipsos, shared with Sky News, also found 63% do not feel confident the government is running the country competently, similar to levels scored by previous Conservative administrations under Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak in July 2022 and February 2023, respectively.

Politics latest: ‘A moment of intense peril’ for PM

The survey of 1,080 adults aged 18-75 across Great Britain was conducted online between 27 and 30 June 2025, when Labour began making the first of its concessions, suggesting the party’s turmoil over its own benefits overhaul is partly to blame.

The prime minister was forced into an embarrassing climbdown on Tuesday night over his plans to slash welfare spending, after it became apparent he was in danger of losing the vote owing to a rebellion among his own MPs.

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Govt makes last-minute concession on welfare bill

The bill that was put to MPs for a vote was so watered down that the most controversial element – to tighten the eligibility criteria for personal independence payments (PIP) – was put on hold, pending a review into the assessment process by minister Stephen Timms that is due to report back in the autumn.

The government was forced into a U-turn after Labour MPs signalled publicly and privately that the previous concession made at the weekend to protect existing claimants from the new rules would not be enough.

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While the bill passed its first parliamentary hurdle last night, with a majority of 75, 49 Labour MPs still voted against it – the largest rebellion in a prime minister’s first year in office since 47 MPs voted against Tony Blair’s Lone Parent benefit in 1997, according to Professor Phil Cowley from Queen Mary University.

It left MPs to vote on only one element of the original plan – the cut to Universal Credit (UC) sickness benefits for new claimants from £97 a week to £50 from 2026/7.

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Govt makes last-minute concession on welfare bill

An amendment brought by Labour MP Rachael Maskell, which aimed to prevent the bill progressing to the next stage, was defeated but 44 Labour MPs voted for it.

The incident has raised questions about Sir Keir’s authority just a year after the general election delivered him the first Labour landslide victory in decades.

Read more:
How did your MP vote on Labour’s welfare bill?
The PM faced down his party on welfare and lost

And on Wednesday, Downing Street insisted Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, was “not going anywhere” after her tearful appearance in the House of Commons during prime minister’s questions sparked speculation about her political future.

The Ipsos poll also found that two-thirds of British adults are not confident Labour has the right plans to change the way the benefits system works in the UK, including nearly half of 2024 Labour voters.

Keiran Pedley, director of UK Politics at Ipsos, said: “Labour rows over welfare reform haven’t just harmed the public’s view on whether they can make the right changes in that policy area, they are raising wider questions about their ability to govern too.

“The public is starting to doubt Labour’s ability to govern competently and seriously at the same levels they did with Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak’s governments. Labour will hope that this government doesn’t end up going the same way.”

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Emotional Reeves a painful watch – and a reminder of tough decisions ahead

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Emotional Reeves a painful watch - and a reminder of tough decisions ahead

It is hard to think of a PMQs like it – it was a painful watch.

The prime minister battled on, his tone assured, even if his actual words were not always convincing.

But it was the chancellor next to him that attracted the most attention.

Rachel Reeves looked visibly upset.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves (right) crying as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks. Pic: Commons/UK Parliament/PA
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Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves (right) crying as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks. Pic: Commons/UK Parliament/PA

It is hard to know for sure right now what was going on behind the scenes, the reasons – predictable or otherwise – why she appeared to be emotional, but it was noticeable and it was difficult to watch.

Reeves looks visibly upset as Starmer defends welfare U-turn – politics latest

Her spokesperson says it was a personal matter that they will not be getting into.

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Even Kemi Badenoch, not usually the most nimble PMQs performer, singled her out. “She looks absolutely miserable,” she said.

Anyone wondering if Kemi Badenoch can kick a dog when it’s down has their answer today.

The Tory leader asked the PM if he could guarantee his chancellor’s future: he could not. “She has delivered, and we are grateful for it,” Sir Keir said, almost sounding like he was speaking in the past tense.

Pic PA
Image:
Rachel Reeves looked visibly upset behind Keir Starmer at PMQs. Pic PA

It is important to say: Rachel Reeves’s face during one PMQs session is not enough to tell us everything, or even anything, we need to know.

But given the government has just faced its most bruising week yet, it was hard not to speculate. The prime minister’s spokesperson has said since PMQs that the chancellor has not offered her resignation and is not going anywhere.

But Rachel Reeves has surely seen an omen of the impossible decisions ahead.

How will she plug the estimated £5.5bn hole left by the welfare climbdown in the nation’s finances? Will she need to tweak her iron clad fiscal rules? Will she come back for more tax rises? What message does all of this send to the markets?

If a picture tells us a thousand words, Rachel Reeves’s face will surely be blazoned on the front pages tomorrow as a warning that no U-turn goes unpunished.

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Trump’s crypto ventures have added $620M to his net worth — Report

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Trump’s crypto ventures have added 0M to his net worth — Report

Trump’s crypto ventures have added 0M to his net worth — Report

With the US president’s ties to his family-backed business, World Liberty Financial, and a memecoin launch, Donald Trump has seen his personal wealth increase by millions in 2025.

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