Prime Minister Andy Burnham has emerged as the most popular of Britain’s major party leaders, with half of the public saying they like him, according to new Ipsos polling.
The latest Ipsos Political Monitor found that 50% of Britons have a favourable view of Burnham, compared with 31% who say they do not like him – giving the Labour leader a positive net rating of +19 points.
The figures put Burnham comfortably ahead of the other major party leaders tested and suggest his personal appeal extends well beyond Labour’s existing level of party support.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch is liked by 33% and disliked by 47%, while Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey is liked by 31% and disliked by 39%.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage records substantially more negative figures, with 24% saying they like him compared with 65% who do not. Green Party leader Zack Polanski is liked by 22% and disliked by 53%.
The contrast between Burnham’s personal ratings and those of the Labour Party is particularly striking.
While 50% say they like Burnham, 30% say they like Labour, meaning the Prime Minister’s personal popularity is 20 percentage points higher than that of his party.
Labour is disliked by 51% of respondents, compared with 31% who dislike Burnham.
The findings could provide encouragement for Labour strategists seeking to rebuild the party’s wider support, suggesting Burnham has the potential to appeal to voters who do not currently identify positively with Labour itself.
Among the political parties tested, the Greens have the highest proportion saying they like the party, at 33%, followed by Labour on 30%, the Liberal Democrats on 27%, Reform UK on 26% and the Conservatives on 24%.
However, all five parties have negative net ratings. Reform records particularly high levels of opposition, with 62% saying they do not like the party, while 56% say the same of the Conservatives.
Ipsos highlighted Burnham’s lead over his political rivals, saying: “Half of Brits say they like Andy Burnham (50%). He’s considerably more liked than other party leaders and more liked than the Labour Party itself – liked by only 30%.”
The poll was conducted among 1,033 British adults aged 18 and over between 30 July and 5 August 2026.
The results add to evidence that Burnham’s personal standing could be an important asset for Labour as the government seeks to broaden its support and win back voters who have drifted away from the party.
For Labour, the challenge will now be turning the Prime Minister’s significantly stronger personal ratings into greater support for the party itself.
