YouGov poll goes against some common wisdom

Nigel Farage is less popular than Jeremy Corbyn, Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Ed Balls, according to new YouGov polling, which confounds a number of common assumptions.

The former UKIP leader and darling of TV and radio scored a net -39 in a poll of 1,578 British adults asked if they had a favourable or unfavourable opinion of senior politicians.

The polling also found:

1. A majority of Brits (46 per cent) have a favourable view of senior judges. Worth recalling when the Daily Mail claims to speak for ‘the people’ in attacking High Court and Supreme Court judges ruling on Article 50. Even among Leave voters the finding was close:

This follows an Ipsos MORI poll that found 81 per cent of those polled said they trusted judges, against 20 per cent who trust government ministers.

2. Most Brits don’t like US president elect Donald Trump – including a majority of Leave and UKIP voters. This means when Theresa May et al are overly abject in their nurturing of the ‘special relationship’ under Trump, they can’t claim his popularity in America is shared over here.

It’s also hard to square with the notion of a united international Trump-Brexit movement, as right-wingers like Farage, Trump and Marine Le Pen would have us believe.

3. Ed Balls, the former Labour shadow chancellor who lost his seat in the 2015 general election, is more popular than the current chancellor Philip Hammond. Balls has a net unfavourability rating of -13 against Hammond’s -16. Amazing what a bit of dancing on Strictly can do for your popularity.

Adam Barnett is staff writer for Left Foot Forward. Follow him on Twitter @AdamBarnett13

See: Brits trust judges more than politicians. Sorry, Theresa

As you’re here, we have something to ask you. What we do here to deliver real news is more important than ever. But there’s a problem: we need readers like you to chip in to help us survive. We deliver progressive, independent media, that challenges the right’s hateful rhetoric. Together we can find the stories that get lost.

We’re not bankrolled by billionaire donors, but rely on readers chipping in whatever they can afford to protect our independence. What we do isn’t free, and we run on a shoestring. Can you help by chipping in as little as £1 a week to help us survive? Whatever you can donate, we’re so grateful - and we will ensure your money goes as far as possible to deliver hard-hitting news.