What cuts through & what reflects well/badly on the government? We've asked that since the election. There's plenty on both sides of the positive/negative divide – but 3 negatives – winter fuel, prisoner release & farmers IHT – have particularly high cut through & negativity
Only minimum wage has higher cut through than a raft of 7 negatives. The Minimum wage rise has both highest cut through and highest positivity of any announcement – but other positives – workers rights, renters rights, ILR reform, asylum reform, sewage have lower cut through.
U-turns tend to have lower cut through than the original decisions themselves – including on digital ID, winter fuel, PIP, Farmers, IHT. Meanwhile budget cost of living measures are very popular – prescription and rail freeze and energy bill levy – but lower cut through
Three 'scandals/misteps' make it into the red zone – blocking Burnham, the OBR row and freebie gate – though they have lower cut through than the most unpopular policy negatives.
Today is the nineteenth month anniversary of Sir Keir Starmer becoming Prime Minister and it feels longer to me, it undoubtedly feels even longer for Sir Keir, I find this polling intriguing on several fronts.
Firstly the self inflicted nature of them and the poor communications around them, secondly the u-turns and the lack of credit therein, third policies seem mater more than froth issues like freebiegate, and fourthly it will be difficult to cut the benefits of pensioners.