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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Why is Keir Starmer so disliked (before the Mandelson scandal?)

307 replies

JacquesHarlow · 08/02/2026 10:36

AIBU to ask this? Why was he so vehemently, fundamentally disliked by the British public, even before the Mandelson saga and the (admittedly awful) lack of judgement?

I have seen worse PMs in the last decade alone. I have seen venal, self-serving, arrogant liars hold the office in that time. I have seen hapless, posh types. We’ve all seen the one who couldn’t outlast a lettuce.

So why does Keir Starmer get so much vitriolic hate in comments sections, despite having only held the office for such a short time?

Is it his perceived lack of communication skills? I’ve seen some people criticise him for not being strident, positive, energised, chummy or any of the things we often see in modern politics.

Is it his lack of identifiable policies or political strategy, where people find they can’t get behind him because they don’t know what he (personally) believes in?

Is it ageism (yep I said it!) in that he comes across as formal and correct, in a time where we’re used to seeing other personalities on the world stage?

Or is it that thing I long suspected, that the country is by default Tory in nature, and that despite a heavy frustration at the last five years of Tory incompetence, they can’t bring themselves to accept this party, and are keen to take him down any which way?

The recent saga of the last week is awful. As a woman I can’t stand to see people like the former US ambassador be enabled.

However the hate for Keir long pre dates this.

so why?? Why do people “hate” him?!

P.S I do not work for Ipsos MORI, or Labour HQ, I am not a bot or a troll or whatever people accuse others of when they don’t like the question.

OP posts:
MrsHGWells · 08/02/2026 12:27

The decision to appoint Mendlesen was Starmers ultimate decision - appointing a person with experience & blood on their hands - contaminates everyone in touch with the decision.

As PM you know are held to a higher standard of integrity and with his experience and skills as lawyer. Starmer should know better and have done better for the public -

seriously tired of upping taxes, making us all poorer, no direction (except ask for more taxes) backed on excuses and blaming everyone but themselves .. this decision sticks as much as it stinks 💩 . If Starmer were in opposition he would be calling for resignation… he needs to fall on the sword likewise chancellor of the purse !

TwelvePiecesOfFlair · 08/02/2026 12:28

I think because he seems weak in the face of his backbenchers, craven in the face of public opinion and doesn’t project any clear vision or optimism. He’s naturally a senior civil servant not a politician.
I like Reeves though, and would have had huge respect for her if she had resigned when Starmer started flip flopping and bastardising her economic plan to try and keep backbenchers happy. Im not in favour of everything she tried to do but she is an intelligent and passionate person with vision and he chucked her under the bus.(Another reason I dislike him)
Had Reeves resigned she’d be a leadership candidate right now. Instead she’s blamed almost fully ( unlike Kwarteng in the last fiasco - funny that!)

kirinm · 08/02/2026 12:32

ilovesooty · 08/02/2026 12:26

He wasn't hounded out. He chose to call a general election.

His own party were determined to self destruct though. The problem for the Tories was Brexit and then the lunatics who were left in charge when Cameron pathetically walked away from his mess.

ilovesooty · 08/02/2026 12:37

kirinm · 08/02/2026 12:32

His own party were determined to self destruct though. The problem for the Tories was Brexit and then the lunatics who were left in charge when Cameron pathetically walked away from his mess.

I'd largely agree. However, although I didn't agree with a lot of what Theresa May did as Home Secretary, I really do think she had a sense of duty as PM.

doonnaKay · 08/02/2026 12:38

Bougainsillier · 08/02/2026 11:12

He’s a lying, self serving little weasel of a man. He had none of the charisma (can’t think of a better word) required to lead and represent us on the world stage. He’s actually one of those men who makes my skin crawl.

He makes your skin crawl because he lacks charisma? How do you feel about Trump?

kirinm · 08/02/2026 12:41

ilovesooty · 08/02/2026 12:37

I'd largely agree. However, although I didn't agree with a lot of what Theresa May did as Home Secretary, I really do think she had a sense of duty as PM.

I agree with this to a degree (although I am not a Tory or May supporter). She was handed / she chose to go for a poison chalice. She was always destined to fail. I honestly think Brexit has done such huge damage. I don’t remember government being quite so chaotic before then.

deadsockholiday · 08/02/2026 12:42

Elizabethandfour · 08/02/2026 12:17

He is judged by his words and actions.

Off the top of my head.
He said some women have a penis.
He told farmers they mattered and then introduced an inheritance tax on farms.
He said he wouldn’t raise taxes and then promptly raised taxes
He ignored the grooming gang victims.

He is a bad man doing bad things.

The grooming gangs in Yorkshire (we all speak as if there is only one, do you think?), has been going on for over 20 years.

Foggytree · 08/02/2026 12:46

He does lack charisma, comes across as very dull and lacks the ability to sell ideas. Shoots himself in the foot saying stupid things.

Is he worse than Boris, Rishi, Liz Truss? No.
Have the problem is the level of 24 hour media attention.

In the 70s MPs could get away with (attempted) murder - see Jeremy Thorpe.

1dayatatime · 08/02/2026 12:48

Ritasueandbobtoo9 · 08/02/2026 12:13

It seems to me that whoever comes along gets a kicking. I didn’t actually think that Rishi Sunak was that bad but he was hounded out before he had a chance. Every PM gets this treatment. I don’t really understand why we have the system we do. I don’t think it works any more.

I think that Rishi Sunak was an honourable and capable Prime Minister.

But he was given an impossible legacy to turn around- Johnson was bad enough but Liz Truss?

The Tories party members deserved to lose the election just based on their dumbest decision ever of choosing Truss - what were they thinking!!

MunicipalDarwinism · 08/02/2026 12:48

JacquesHarlow · 08/02/2026 11:38

Thanks @ExtraOnions for your kind contribution.

This “another” thread is designed to focus on why he appears historically disliked. It is not a Mandelson thread.

Hope that helps.

To be fair, @ExtraOnions has a valid point. There was an identical thread a few days ago.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5483363-to-not-get-the-visceral-levels-of-hatred-people-have-for-keir-starmer

Eta: hopefully you will participate in the discussion, unlike the other OP who plopped and ran😁

MunicipalDarwinism · 08/02/2026 12:54

MunicipalDarwinism · 08/02/2026 12:48

To be fair, @ExtraOnions has a valid point. There was an identical thread a few days ago.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5483363-to-not-get-the-visceral-levels-of-hatred-people-have-for-keir-starmer

Eta: hopefully you will participate in the discussion, unlike the other OP who plopped and ran😁

Edited

Agoh. My edit broke the link!

www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5483363-to-not-get-the-visceral-levels-of-hatred-people-have-for-keir-starmer

Bougainsillier · 08/02/2026 13:25

doonnaKay · 08/02/2026 12:38

He makes your skin crawl because he lacks charisma? How do you feel about Trump?

He makes my skin crawl cos he’s such a slimy, insincere patronising wuss actually. You need some sort of charisma to command respect and perform in his role, both here and abroad. He has none.

ChrisMartinsKisskam · 08/02/2026 13:30

I dislike him because he’s said that women can have a penis

we all know that’s not true no matter what anyone thinks biological women do not have a penis - end of

so he’s either as thick as shit and a liar

or he actually believes that women can have a penis which we all know is biologically impossible so he is is really thick as shit

he seems to hate the uk & women

he is also wants Digital ID for everyone which wasn’t in the manifesto

he can’t seem to make up his mind
he u turns on things more than a drunk on crack

he’s proven to be dishonorable and he had the personality of a Smurf

Basquervill · 08/02/2026 13:31

He is a make your skin crawl man, wouldn’t want to be alone in a train carriage with him. Apart from that and his blocked sinus robotic delivery and pasty gormless expression, his decisions have been absurd. He’s got no redeeming features whatsoever.

ChrisMartinsKisskam · 08/02/2026 13:34

Bougainsillier · 08/02/2026 13:25

He makes my skin crawl cos he’s such a slimy, insincere patronising wuss actually. You need some sort of charisma to command respect and perform in his role, both here and abroad. He has none.

Yep Tony Blair & Boris Johnson for all their faults were excellent public speakers in that they didn’t send you to sleep after 5 mins

years ago I saw TB at a lecture at a university and he could really engage with everyone you actually felt like he was talking to just you and you alone 😂

for all his faults he was very media savvy and could engage a crowd of strangers

Bougainsillier · 08/02/2026 13:34

Basquervill · 08/02/2026 13:31

He is a make your skin crawl man, wouldn’t want to be alone in a train carriage with him. Apart from that and his blocked sinus robotic delivery and pasty gormless expression, his decisions have been absurd. He’s got no redeeming features whatsoever.

I agree. Wouldn’t surprise me at all if Mandelson has something on him

BollyMolly · 08/02/2026 13:45

I dislike hike because he’s a human rights lawyer that doesn’t appear to care about human rights. His stance on the human rights of Palestinians is disgraceful.

He didn’t have the guts to voice what he knew about Brexit being a terrible idea because he cared
more about winning votes from people stupid enough to vote for it.

The man is a manipulative hypocrite with no integrity, yet behaves as if we all believe that he is honest and decent.

Villanellesproudmum · 08/02/2026 13:46

Because he isn’t a leader and goes back on his election promises, such as student loans.

limetrees32 · 08/02/2026 13:47

Could posters give examples when they cite dishonesty .greed,.lies, and hypocrisy.

Dragonscaledaisy · 08/02/2026 13:50

limetrees32 · 08/02/2026 13:47

Could posters give examples when they cite dishonesty .greed,.lies, and hypocrisy.

Follow the Lord Alli debacle as it unfolded - a great example.

Wtafmakeitstop · 08/02/2026 13:56

Judging by my family and friends who have very varied political opinions, he seems to be disliked by the left for not being left enough and disliked by the right for being too left. (So on the whole, maybe he’s in the right place?) Personally, I think he’s a clever man with (mostly) decent morals and intentions, but he is not very good at politics or at least not at the level he’s reached. He seems to be trying not to upset anybody and as a result upsetting most of us.

Severntrent · 08/02/2026 13:57

I think he's a decent man doing what is now an impossible job. The media make it impossible as well as the the quality of public debate in general. He has made some bad decisions, but he's also done some really good things. Best Start and the way he's handled Trump, for example. I don't think he's led the comms on what they've managed to achieve very well and its feels a bit panicked at times - leading to lots of u-turns.
Anyone who doesn't like him because of his voice comes across as a nasty playground bully and needs to have a serious look at themselves.

DenizenOfAisleOfShame · 08/02/2026 14:00

Severntrent · 08/02/2026 13:57

I think he's a decent man doing what is now an impossible job. The media make it impossible as well as the the quality of public debate in general. He has made some bad decisions, but he's also done some really good things. Best Start and the way he's handled Trump, for example. I don't think he's led the comms on what they've managed to achieve very well and its feels a bit panicked at times - leading to lots of u-turns.
Anyone who doesn't like him because of his voice comes across as a nasty playground bully and needs to have a serious look at themselves.

What a load of nonsense.

People make judgements about politicians all the time, many of them caustic. Starmer’s a bust, you know it, I know it, everyone knows it. And the fact that he talks so badly is just a little piece of his shitness as PM.

1000StrawberryLollies · 08/02/2026 14:01

What is really annoying about the 'Why do people dislike Starmer?' threads is that they all start with a derisive, holier-than-thou assumption that people who don't like Starmer must be Tories deep down, even if we don't want to admit it. Nope. I'm pretty sure a LOT of women on here voted Labour because they are naturally left/centre left voters who wouldn't consider voting Tory or (god forbid) Reform.

But they voted Labour with a sense of gloom due to Starner being a weak, bland, weaselly, fence-sitter who thinks only most people with a cervix are women. Or rather, he claimed to think that, because that's the way the wind was blowing at the time. That's what I did, anyway. It was that or spoil my ballot paper.

FOJN · 08/02/2026 14:02

He looks so self conscious and awkward when he speaks. It's like he's struggling to remember his media training and his message but can't do both at the same time so he comes across as a really bad actor. It's like watching AI, something us off but it's hard to put your finger on immediately and it distracts from whatever he's trying to say. I think he would seem more convincing if he had any principles and actually believed what he was saying. This is a man who wants power for the sake of power and that is dangerous.

It's easy to condemn politicians who lie to save their own skin or to advance themselves; not desirable in a politician but relatable human impulses. Starmer lied when he said some women have a penis, that is not relatable and it makes him look stupid, gullible, untrustworthy and incapable of leading his party in navigating complex issues.

He never takes responsibility for anything whether it's Saville or Mandelson, it's always someone else's fault.

He prefers Davos to Westminster.