Boris Johnson seen as less trustworthy than Keir Starmer

According to the new Ipsos MORI Political Monitor, just over a third of Britons (35%) describe Boris Johnson as trustworthy, compared with 42% for the Labour leader Keir Starmer.

Both get higher ratings among their own supporters, at 69% and 60% respectively.  Among recent Prime Ministers, though, David Cameron gets the lowest ratings, with his trustworthiness rating half what it was almost a decade ago in 2013 when he was in office.  Tony Blair also receives negative trust ratings, but Theresa May, Gordon Brown and John Major are all more trusted than distrusted.  Fieldwork was carried out last week before the recent stories this weekend.

Other key findings in detail (changes from March unless otherwise stated):

Trust in political leaders

• More say Keir Starmer is trustworthy than do Boris Johnson. A third (35%) say the Prime Minster is trustworthy (59% say he is not) compared with 42% who say the Labour leader is trustworthy (41% say he is not).
• Among their own supporters, 69% describe Boris Johnson as trustworthy (vs 26% who do not), and 60% of Labour supporters trust Keir Starmer (33% do not).
• When looking at recent former Prime Ministers one in five (21%) say David Cameron is trustworthy (down from 43% when last asked in April 2013). Three quarters (74%) now say he is not trustworthy (up from 51%).
• Tony Blair also receives negative scores with 23% saying he is trustworthy and 69% that he’s not. These scores are down from his last weeks as Prime Minister when 31% said he was trustworthy and 61% said he was not.
• The public are marginally positive on balance about Theresa May, half (50%) say she is trustworthy while 45% say she is not.
• More say Gordon Brown is trustworthy than not (47% vs. 41%) which is an improvement from his last weeks as Prime Minister in April 2010 when it was 41% who said he was trustworthy and 55% said he was not.
• More also say they see John Major as trustworthy than not (48% vs. 36%)

Leader satisfaction ratings 

• 44% are satisfied (+2) with the way the government is running the country, 51% dissatisfied (+2). Net -7.  Among Conservative supporters 84% satisfied (+5), 12% dissatisfied (-4).
• 44% satisfied (no change) with Boris Johnson as PM, 50% dissatisfied (-1). Net -6. Among Conservative supporters 82% satisfied (-1), 13% dissatisfied (nc).
• 36% satisfied with Keir Starmer as Labour leader (+3), 46% dissatisfied (+4). Net -10.  Among Labour supporters 51% satisfied (-1), 39% dissatisfied (+6).
• 18% satisfied with Ed Davey as LibDem leader (+3), 38% dissatisfied (+10). Net -20, but 43% don’t know.
• 58% are satisfied with the way Rishi Sunak is doing his job as Chancellor (-1), 27% dissatisfied (no change). Net +31.  Among Conservative supporters 86% satisfied (+3), 8% dissatisfied (-2).