Replace Reeves if Starmer goes, voters tell Labour

Rachel Reeves should be replaced as Chancellor if Sir Keir Starmer is ousted in a Labour leadership contest, the majority of voters believe. 

Reeves’ team had told newspapers that she should stay on in order to maintain some stability if Starmer were defeated by Wes Streeting, Andy Burnham or another Labour leader contender in a likely contest this year. 

But City AM/Freshwater Strategy polling has shown that most voters believe Reeves should be moved on if Starmer left Downing Street. 

Around 61 per cent of voters think Reeves should be replaced with someone else while just 28 per cent supported her staying on. 

About a third of voters polled were unsure about what a new premiership would do, with 35 per cent believing they would keep taxes and spending at around the same current level. 

A similar proportion (34 per cent) said they believed a fresh Labour government would reduce taxes and cut public spending. 

Reeves and Labour hopes crumble

The figures shed light on voters’ opinions just as Labour members look set to be locked into a leadership tussle lasting several months, regardless of a by-election result in Makerfield. 

Pressure over Reeves’ position also comes as exchanges of messages between Peter Mandelson and key Starmer ally Pat McFadden suggested that Cabinet ministers became frustrated with the Chancellor’s growth strategy.

Fresh polling suggested there may be some way back for Labour if the leadership changes.

When Labour candidate Andy Burnham is put in a head-to-head against Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch for preferred Prime Minister, he beats either opponent by two percentage points. Burnham is backed by 29 per cent while the Reform and Tory leader are backed by 27 per cent. 

Burnham is also by far the most popular candidate to replace Starmer on 28 per cent. Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting follow with 11 per cent. Three in five voters believe Starmer should resign. 

But Labour’s prospects of storming to another major landslide victory may be far-fetched as just 24 per cent of respondents said they would be more likely to vote for the party if Starmer stepped down. Around 60 per cent said he made “no difference” to their likelihood to vote for Labour. 

In general voting intention polling, Labour trailed Reform UK by nine percentage points and were level with the Conservatives on 19 per cent of the voter share. 

The Liberal Democrats were on 14 per cent and the Greens were on 12 per cent. 

Starmer’s approval ratings still fared worse than other leaders’ ratings although improved from -40 last month to -36.