The battle for trust in politics is being comprehensively lost
Statement from Unlock Democracy reacting to publication of the British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey from the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen).
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The latest British Social Attitudes survey, published today, found that just 12% of people trust governments to put the interests of the nation above those of their own party ‘just about always or most of the time’, a record low. It also found that only 5% trust politicians to tell the truth in a tight corner 'just about always or most of the time', a joint record low, with 59% 'almost never' inclined to believe politicians.
Commenting on the findings, Tom Brake, Director of Unlock Democracy, said:
“Keir Starmer declared shortly after winning the general election that ‘the fight for trust is the battle that defines our political era’. Based on today’s findings, that battle is being comprehensively lost. Trust in politics has not recovered since Labour took office, and on most scores has got even worse.
“Loss of trust brought down Boris Johnson, causing lasting reputational damage from which subsequent Conservative governments never recovered. Owen Paterson and Partygate laid the foundations of Labour’s election victory. Yet almost one year on, we’ve seen very little action to back up the tough talk we heard from Labour in opposition.
“The survey’s findings make a mockery of Labour’s claim to be ‘restoring confidence in government’. Major surgery, not the odd sticking plaster, is needed when trust in politics is at an all-time low. Strong measures to clean up politics - such as clamping down on MPs’ second jobs, outlawing freebies for politicians above a nominal value, and overhauling the Lords’ appointments process - would signal a clear break with the past.
“Failure to restore trust threatens not just Labour’s hopes of reelection, but democracy itself. You only need to look to the USA for the threat posed to democratic institutions when disenchantment with politics reaches a tipping point, and voters are prepared to try almost anything to shake up the system.”
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