However, after a series of disputes – including over the influence of his chief of staff Sue Gray – his approval rating has now plunged to -26%. That’s a massive 45-point drop.
At the same time, Mr Sunak’s approval rating has risen five points in the past two weeks to -25%.
However, Sir Keir still beat Mr Sunak to become the best prime minister, beating him by 28% to 18%.
Part of Sir Keir’s speech to voters at the General Election was that the Conservative Party had made the country worse and had to be replaced.
But despite repeated claims that the Conservative Party is lagging behind £22 billion black hole and that the new government must now “repair its foundations”, Opinium said: “The public is divided on whether the new Government is on a par with its predecessor, with 30% considering Keir Starmer’s Labour Government better than the last Conservative government under Rishi Sunak, and 34% thinking it is worse.”
Only 27% of respondents said the first months of government had been successful, while the poll also showed Labor was not seen as a united party. Overall, 32% said it was united and 37% said it was not.
The bombshell findings are likely to raise questions about Labour’s controversial decisions since it took office, adding pressure on Sir Keir at his first party conference as PM next week.
There has been widespread anger towards decision to cut winter fuel paymentswith many campaigners arguing it would hurt poorer pensioners this winter.
It is highly unusual for a government to become unpopular so quickly. Sir Tony Blair’s approval rating reached 93% in one poll in the September after his victory in the 1997 General Election, following his “people’s princess” speech when Princess Diana died.
Sir Tony lasted 1,104 days before Labour’s approval rating dropped below 30%. Another analysis published earlier this week showed Sir Keir’s government has reached that level in just 70 days.
Even Gordon Brown took 1,082 days to get Labour below 30%, despite being heavily criticised for not calling a snap election soon after he became PM in 2007.