• Over half (59%) of region’s voters don’t want to keep changing prime minister so frequently 
• Support for Reform in the East of England falls from 32% in April to 26% in June 
• UK heading for a hung Parliament with no immediate coalition viable 

A new MRP poll has revealed that over half (59%) of voters in the East of England think it’s a bad idea to keep changing Prime Minister so frequently, with just 7% saying it was a good thing. 

The growing frustration with the political instability comes as Labour launches a new leadership contest, with Andy Burnham the front runner to take over as Prime Minister following Kier Starmer’s resignation. 

The research, conducted by Ipswich-based communications agency PLMR Genesis in partnership with Electoral Calculus, also reveals the East of England is becoming increasingly politically fragmented with Reform being squeezed by Labour, the Conservatives and Restore Britain. 

Seat by seat polling

Whilst Reform were polling at 32% in April in the region, this fell to 26% in June. During that same period, support for Labour has increased from 14% to 21%. Similarly, the Conservatives have seen their vote share rise from 11% to 20%. For the first time, the polling also includes Restore Britain which is currently polling at 6% in the East of England. This suggests they are taking votes away from Reform. 

The seat by seat breakdown reveals, if an election were held tomorrow, the Conservatives would win the most seats in Essex with 9, followed by Reform with 7, Labour with 1, and the Liberal Democrats with 1. In Suffolk, Reform would lead with 4 seats, followed by the Conservatives on 3, and Labour with 1. 

In Norfolk, Reform and the Conservatives would both win 3 seats, followed by Labour with 2, the Liberal Democrats with 1, and Restore Britain with 1. In Cambridgeshire, the Liberal Democrats would finish with 3 seats, followed by the Conservatives on 2, Reform on 2, and Labour on 1. 

A hung Parliament 

At a national level, support for Reform has also fallen whilst Labour and the Conservatives are starting to recover. Labour and Reform are currently tied on 22%, with the Conservatives close behind on 20%. 

Despite this, no party is on course to secure an outright majority. Instead, the polling points towards a hung Parliament, with Labour projected to win 217 seats, the Conservatives 151 seats, and Reform 127. A party needs to win 326 seats to hold a majority which means a coalition with the Liberal Democrats and the Greens, with 72 and 30 seats respectively, still wouldn’t be enough for any party to get over the line. 

Quotes and insight 

Commenting on the latest findings, Tim Miller, Managing Director of PLMR East of England, said: ”One of the clearest messages from this polling is that voters in the region are tired of the political instability in Westminster. Whatever their political views, most people don’t think regularly changing the person at the top is good for the country. They want the government to focus on delivering, rather than constantly resetting. 

“Interestingly in the East of England we’re seeing support for Reform fall, with Labour and the Conservatives recovering ground. The emergence of Restore Britain appears to be squeezing Reform’s vote share. However, no party is yet close to securing enough support to govern alone. This leaves the political outlook as open and unpredictable as it has been since the last election.” 

Martin Baxter, founder of Electoral Calculus, said “Our figures show that if a general election were held now, it would result in a hung parliament where even a three-way coalition of Labour, the Liberal Democrats, and the Greens would fall short of a majority. 

“For the first time, Restore Britain has been included in our polling, and they are cutting directly into Reform’s vote share. That leaves Nigel Farage fighting on two fronts, with the Conservatives also recovering ground. Meanwhile, Burnham’s return to Westminster has given Labour a boost, but only time will tell if he can persuade a pessimistic public that another spin of No 10’s revolving door will deliver progress, or if it will just leave the country going in circles.”