It may be downhill from here
The policies Burnham has put forward have also gone down well with voters. Public First found the cost of living remained by far the biggest issue facing the country, in voters’ eyes, with 68 percent naming it as a top national priority.
In his first week, Burnham moved to ease the strain on household finances with a cut to VAT on electricity bills and a national cap on bus fares. These policies received big majorities in favor — as did his proposal for the biggest council house building program since the post-war period.
But 46 percent of respondents said the government does not have a “credible plan to pay for these things,” while only 39 percent said the opposite.
The risk for a new prime minister is that this is as good as it gets. Approval ratings tend to decline — sometimes rapidly — the longer a premier is in office and Burnham may find his initial momentum soon fades.
That fact of political life has fueled the debate over whether he should cash in on his early boost and call an election. A snap vote may be Labour’s best hope of beating Reform, especially at a time when Farage is facing pressure over his financial arrangements and a by-election gamble that looks unlikely to strengthen his position as he had hoped.
Voters think Burnham should call an election regardless because it would give his government a legitimate mandate. He was not a candidate for parliament at the last general election two years ago and won the Labour leadership without a contest even among his party colleagues.
Some 55 percent of respondents said Burnham should call and seek to win an election to gain legitimacy, up slightly from 51 percent when POLITICO asked the question a month ago. One in three — 33 percent — said he should not call an election as his government already had legitimacy, about the same as last time.
“Putting it together, these few weeks are the strongest Labour has seemed up against Reform, but it is an exceptionally turbulent few weeks,” said Wride. “Where it settles is what matters.”
