Data shared with LBC from Ipsos as part of the UK’s Political Pulse survey reveals that 50% of Britons think Starmer should stand down, with 36% believing that he should remain in post.

The data also reveals that 68% of Britons think it is unlikely Starmer will win the next General Election (+5 percent when compared Jun 2025 figures), with 36% believing Labor would be more likely to win the next General Election under alternative leadership.

The poll, comprised of 2,262 British adults, was conducted in the midst of the Mandelson vetting scandal (between 17-21 April 2026) - a day after it emerged that the US ambassador to the US had failed security vetting.

The data comes at a rocky time for the prime minister in the wake of the vetting scandal, with calls for Starmer to step aside in the run up to May's local elections.

The figures come as it was revealed that the Foreign Office refused to share key files about Lord Mandelson’s vetting, according to one of Britain’s most senior civil servants.

However, the figures do show an increase in support for the prime minister compared to February's figures, which saw 52 percent of Brits back a Starmer resignation (-2%).

Numbers that will come as a boost to Andy Burnham, 17% of those polled believe the Greater Manchester Mayor to be the next logical choice for leader.

The data also sheds light on the direction voters see the Labor party heading in, with Andy Burnham the public’s preferred choice as Labor leader should Starmer resign.

According to the data, Burnham comes out on top among those who voted Labor at the last General Election (25%). However a sizeable proportion of the public say either none of them (28%) or don’t know (27%).

“As speculation mounts about Keir Starmer’s future, the way forward for Labor is unclear. 6 in 10 are unfavorable towards him and half think he should stand down," explained Ipsos Director of Politics Keiran Pedle.

"However, sentiment hasn’t really moved since the autumn and it is not obvious who would replace him," Pedle added.

"Andy Burnham remains the standout alternative in terms of public opinion but he is not in parliament. So if there was an immediate contest, there is no strong public sense about who should replace him,” Pedle said.

Elsewhere, 5% of Britons would prefer Angela Rayner to be the next leader of the Labor party, followed by Wes Streeting on 4% according to the figures.

Delving into the data, less Britons believed Nigel Farage will ever be prime minister in the future compared to September 2025, with 40% noting it likely that the Refom UK leader will become prime minister - down 9% from Sept 2025 polling.

However, when it comes to favorable views of the parties, the Greens appeared to come out on top with 28% favorability, with Labor dropping into last with 20% behind Reform UK (27%), Lib Dems (23%) and the Conservatives (22%).

The results follow Starmer admitting he “inadvertently” misled Parliament over Peter Mandelson's appointment when he faced MPs in the Commons earlier this week.

Asked whether Starmer had misled parliament, the prime minister’s spokesperson said, "The prime minister would never knowingly mislead parliament or the public.”

"He’s clear, though, that this information should have been provided to parliament. It should have been provided to him, it should have been provided to other government ministers,” the spokesperson said, adding, "But he clearly did not have this information – that is the crucial fact – he clearly did not have this information when he previously spoke to parliament."