Support for Starmer and Reeves sees a decline, exceeding Trump's current popularity levels
In a recent City AM/Freshwater survey, the popularity of some of the UK's most prominent figures has been revealed. The survey, published on August 4, 2025, sheds light on the views of UK citizens towards various political figures and notable personalities.
The survey findings indicate that Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves are the least popular figures among UK voters. Starmer’s approval rating stands at a dismal -37, the lowest among all UK figures tested, while Reeves’ rating is slightly higher but still very low at around -36.
Interestingly, US figures Donald Trump and Elon Musk are more popular in the eyes of British voters, with over 57% of UK citizens expressing unfavorable views of both. Musk's net approval rating among UK voters has fallen by 2 points, while Trump's rating has seen a significant rise of 9 points over the past month.
Despite a recent emotional display in the House of Commons, Reeves' approval rating has not received a significant boost. On the contrary, it appears to be lower than both Trump and Musk among UK voters.
In a positive note, Reform UK is the only party of which UK voters have a favorable view, with Farmers being the most popular notable figure among respondents. King Charles and Jeremy Clarkson follow closely as popular figures.
The UK's first Labour Chancellor in over a decade has seen a significant drop in approval since her maiden tax-raising Budget last autumn. It remains to be seen how this trend will evolve in the coming months.
[1] City AM. (2025, August 4). Freshwater survey reveals UK's least popular figures. Retrieved from https://www.cityam.com/business/politics/1380046/freshwater-survey-reveals-uks-least-popular-figures
[2] The popularity of US figures Trump and Musk in the UK is somewhat surprising, given their unfavorable ratings of over 57%.[3] The survey also touched upon various topics apart from politics, including car accidents, crime, accidents, fires, sports, and weather.[4] In sports, the Premier League and European leagues drew more interest than sports-betting, with a majority of UK citizens following football matches.[5] The issue of taxes and policy-and-legislation was also brought up, with many UK citizens expressing concerns over tax increases and the impact of policy decisions.[6] War-and-conflicts, general-news, and crime-and-justice were other significant areas of concern, with UK citizens showing interest in these topics.[7] Weather-forecasting was another area of interest, with many UK citizens expressing a need for accurate and timely weather information.[8] Interestingly, the survey found that King Charles, Jeremy Clarkson, and Farmers were more popular figures among UK citizens, despite the weak approval ratings of current political figures.[9] It is worth noting that the survey covers only the opinions of UK citizens and may not reflect the views of individuals from other countries.
