More than half of Britons would back a new law to force political parties to hold a General Election if they change leader during a Parliamentary term, according to a new poll.
The findings come amid a growing clamour for Labour to trigger an election after Sir Keir Starmer announced on Monday that he would step down as Prime Minister.
Now a poll shows that 55 per cent of the British public would support a law that would mandate an immediate General Election if the governing party installs a new leader in Downing Street.
Three quarters of Conservative voters and 83 per cent of Reform UK supporters would back such a change – while just 1 in 5 of the overall electorate would object to it.
It comes after Nigel Farage called for the country to go to the polls ‘at the soonest possible date’ as he said that Andy Burnham would not have ‘any kind of meaningful mandate’ if he enters No 10.
This sentiment has even been echoed by some in Government, with Home Office minister Mike Tapp calling for a change in the law to guarantee a general election if a PM is forced out early.
The survey by Ipsos also paints a picture of a ‘disillusioned British electorate’, pollsters said, as the UK prepares for its seventh prime minister in ten years.
Half of people now worry that the country is ‘ungovernable’, regardless of who is in power, according to the representative poll of 1,000 Britons conducted after Sir Keir announced his departure.
The findings come amid a growing clamour for Labour to trigger an election after Sir Keir Starmer announced on Monday that he would step down as Prime Minister
New polling by Ipsos found that 38 per cent of Brits say a new leader will make ‘no difference’ to the overall state of the country
Among those who view Britain as ungovernable, almost nine in 10 place a great deal or a fair amount of responsibility for this on British political parties and politicians themselves.
Some 84 per cent of the public holds the media responsible, 73 per cent point to global events, and 59 per cent blame the British public’s own ‘unrealistic expectations’ of their leaders.
Pollsters said the public mood around a new prime minister is characterised by ‘apathy rather than optimism’, with 38 per cent of people saying a new leader will make ‘no difference’ to the overall state of the country.
More than half of people expect a new leader to have ‘no personal impact on their life’ and 56 per cent predict there will be little change to their local area.
Pollsters said that these low expectations ‘match the public appraisal’ of Sir Keir’s legacy, with 57 per cent of the public believing that he did a ‘bad job’ as Prime Minister.
Gideon Skinner, senior director of politics at Ipsos, said: ‘While Keir Starmer’s legacy as PM is viewed negatively, the immediate public reaction has not been a surge of optimism for a fresh start.
‘Rather the mood is more reserved, with many expecting a new leader to deliver little tangible difference to their bank accounts, their local streets, or the state of public services.’
Labour MPs are debating whether to call an early election, with backbencher Mary Glindon warning this week that the party would be viewed as ‘hypocrites’ if one was not triggered.
But during the Makerfield by-election campaign Mr Burnham’s spokesman expressly ruled out him taking the country to the polls early if he becomes PM, meaning he would likely govern until the next general election in 2029 if he enters Downing Street.
