The latest polling data should serve as a wake-up call for the Labour government. When two-thirds of your own party members believe you've made too many policy U-turns, you've lost the argument. When three-quarters of British voters say things are getting worse, you've lost the country. Sir Keir Starmer's government came to power promising a fresh start and straight-talking honesty. Twenty months in, the data reveals a government that has abandoned core promises, failed to deliver on expectations, and left communities across England feeling betrayed and forgotten.
The Survation polling for LabourList paints a devastating picture. Among the party faithful—people who actually campaigned for this government, who knocked on doors, who believed in the cause—65% now say it has made too many U-turns. That's not a minority view. That's the consensus within Labour's own ranks. This isn't about left-right divisions; this is the moderate, pragmatic centre of the party saying: you promised one thing, you're doing another.
A Government That Doesn't Know What It Stands For
The U-turns have come thick and fast. On fiscal policy. On welfare. On how far the government would go to tackle public services. Even on promises made directly to constituencies and regions, the reversals have undermined confidence. Each retreat erodes trust a little more. When a government changes course so frequently, voters stop believing it stands for anything at all.
The problem isn't that policy evolves—good governance requires flexibility. The problem is the sheer volume and visibility of reversals suggests no clear vision was there from the start. It suggests a government responding to short-term pressures rather than following principle. It suggests, to borrow the party's own language, that Labour is letting down the communities it promised to serve.
Labour won the election on the back of promises to working families, to the regions left behind, to communities starved of investment. The voting majority wanted change. They got incompetence masquerading as pragmatism, and broken promises dressed up as necessity.
The Voters Have Noticed
It gets worse—or rather, it's far broader than party membership dissatisfaction. When you poll the wider electorate, three-quarters of voters say things are getting worse, whilst only 8% think things are getting better. That's not a problem; that's a crisis. That margin reveals voters have lost faith that this government can deliver improvement to their lives.
This is what failure looks like. It's not dramatic economic collapse or a single catastrophic policy mistake. It's the slow accumulation of disappointment—of promises unmet, of problems worsening, of expectations crushed. Inflation was supposed to fall faster. Investment was supposed to flood the regions. Jobs were supposed to be secure and well-paid. Instead, households still feel the squeeze, investment remains patchy, and job insecurity persists.
The government faces anger and betrayal in communities across England. Northern communities that swung Labour expecting renewed investment are seeing resources diverted. Metropolitan areas expecting serious action on cost-of-living face the same tired half-measures. Even London, traditionally reliable Labour territory, is registering discontent.
Civil Liberties Under Attack
What's particularly troubling is how the Starmer government has handled civil liberties. Labour came to power promising to restore rights eroded under the Conservatives. Instead, the government has intensified civil liberties crackdowns. Surveillance has expanded, protest rights have been systematically criminalised, and the levers of state power have been used to restrict dissent.
This represents a fundamental betrayal of Labour's stated values. A party built on trade unionism, on protest, on standing up for the powerless, now uses law to silence legitimate voice. The irony is sharp and damning. Under Starmer, civil liberties protections have gone backwards. Statewatch's analysis of 2024-2026 shows the chilling effect: fewer legitimate protests, increased police powers, broader surveillance capabilities, and a steady erosion of the rights that define a free society.
This is the legacy of a government that has abandoned principle for control. Labour promised to be different from the Conservatives. Instead, it's inherited and expanded their worst authoritarian instincts.
What Reform UK Would Do
Reform UK would govern differently. We believe in consistent, principled governance that doesn't flip-flop with opinion polls. We would protect free speech as a cornerstone of democracy, not criminalise it. We would deliver on promises made to working families and communities—and when circumstances change, we would explain honestly why, not pretend nothing has altered.
We would roll back surveillance expansions and restore civil liberties eroded under both Conservative and Labour governments. We would govern for working people, not special interests. We would be honest about the constraints of power and about what can realistically be achieved—but what we promise, we would deliver.
The polling is clear: the government has lost the confidence of voters and party members alike. The question now is whether enough people understand the alternative exists. Real change requires a party willing to challenge the entire failing consensus. That's why Reform UK stands ready.