Andy Burnham has entered No 10 as Labour's new prime minister, and Guardian data analysis examines the divisions with the party's core supporters that widened during Keir Starmer's tenure.
Key facts
- Andy Burnham has entered 10 Downing Street as prime minister, replacing Keir Starmer.
- Starmer led Labour to a landslide in 2024, winning 412 seats.
- Starmer's net approval fell from -3 on taking office to -66 by September 2025.
- Ipsos recorded that -66 rating as the lowest for any UK prime minister since 1977.
- Labour's 2024 result was just short of the 418 seats won by Tony Blair in 1997.
Andy Burnham has entered 10 Downing Street as prime minister, and a Guardian data analysis has set out the challenges he faces in reconnecting with Labour’s traditional supporters. The analysis focuses on the fissures that opened between the party and its base during the tenure of Keir Starmer, and the traps the new prime minister will want to avoid.
Starmer entered Downing Street on a wave of optimism after a landslide victory in the 2024 general election. His Labour party had overturned its 2019 defeat, in which it crashed to its worst result since 1935, according to the Guardian.
In 2024, Labour won 412 seats, just a few shy of the 418 won by Tony Blair in 1997. That earlier result gave Labour a leader in office for a decade, the Guardian noted.
Despite the scale of that victory, Starmer’s tenure lasted a little more than two years. Over the past 24 months, the Guardian reports, the popularity of the human-rights lawyer turned prime minister plummeted.
His net approval rating fell from -3 when he took office to -66 by September 2025. According to Ipsos figures cited by the Guardian, that was the lowest net approval rating recorded for any prime minister since 1977.
The Guardian’s visualised analysis frames Burnham’s task in terms of winning back groups ranging from leftwing voters to unions, mapping where support drifted away under his predecessor.
Why it matters
A change of prime minister after a landslide win only two years earlier signals significant volatility in British politics. How Burnham addresses the erosion of Labour's traditional support will shape the party's direction and its prospects at the next election.
Frequently asked questions
Who has replaced Keir Starmer as prime minister?
Andy Burnham has entered 10 Downing Street as prime minister, according to the Guardian.
How low did Keir Starmer's approval rating fall?
His net approval rating fell from -3 when he took office to -66 by September 2025, which Ipsos recorded as the lowest for any prime minister since 1977, the Guardian reports.
How many seats did Labour win in 2024?
Labour won 412 seats in the 2024 general election, just short of the 418 won by Tony Blair in 1997, according to the Guardian.