When it rains for the Labour lot, it pours. It has emerged that Sir Keir Starmer’s party has become so unpopular among its own base that it has lost more than one in 10 members since the general election – and in recent months has seen one member quit every 10 minutes. Dear oh dear…
According to membership figures held by the party’s governing body, Starmer’s army has around 309,000 paid-up supporters – which is a decrease of more than 11 per cent from the 348,000 backers it had at the time of last year’s July poll. To add insult to injury, these numbers are net figures – meaning the loss of new members may even greater than they suggest. NEC reps suggest the declining membership is linked to unpopular policies, like the winter fuel payment cuts, and Sir Keir’s reluctance to criticise US president Donald Trump. Talk about trouble in paradise…
And even among young people the party is not excelling. While its youth membership totalled over 100,000 five years ago, the NEC revealed to LabourList that the numbers are now closer to 30,000. The revelations follow Starmer’s colossal drop in popularity, with polling in October showing the PM was rated worse than his predecessors at the same point in the job while Sir Keir’s dissatisfaction ratings reached a staggering 61 per cent in December. Meanwhile overall unhappiness with the Labour government remains rather high too, with a whopping 70 per cent of Brits registering their dissatisfaction with the party in charge. It’s hardly the best start to the job…
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