Nigel Farage has received another polling boost as he finally wiped out Sir Keir Starmer’s lead on who would be the best prime minister. Despite Labour languishing in the polls for months, Sir Keir has always come out on top in the head-to-head comparison between him and the Reform UK leader.
However, an Ipsos Mori poll found that as of September 2025, voters believe Sir Keir and Mr Farage are now tied on 30% when asked “which of the following, if either, do you think would make a better Prime Minister?” The result signals a major shift in just two months. The last time the question was asked, in July 2025, Sir Keir had an eight-point lead over Mr Farage, on 33% to 25% respectively.
Keir Starmer has lost his lead on the question of ‘best PM’ (Image: Getty)
In March, he held an 11-point lead, and in December 2024, it was a 12-point lead.
The number of people saying either party leader would make “no difference”, or that “neither” would be the better PM is also at a new low, with just 30% saying they wouldn’t prefer either.
Sir Keir holds a 12-point lead over Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, but is five points behind Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
Mr Farage leads Mr Burnham by three points, but the latter is viewed more favourably than the Reform UK leader.
Mr Farage’s net popularity currently sits at -12, but is 21 points more popular than Sir Keir’s.
Rachel Reeves is now on -37, with Jeremy Corbyn on -27 and Ed Davey on -4.
While Mr Farage may rejoice at the new survey, a separate poll will provide gloomier reading for Reform HQ.
More in Common found that Reform is down three points since its last poll, while Labour has bounced up by the same amount.
It leaves Reform with just a three-point lead over Labour, down from the previous nine-point lead.
The Tories lagged behind on 20 points, with the Lib Dems on 13% and the Greens on 8%.
