Almost half of Britons believe Keir Starmer is handling riots badly
Violence has flared across the UK in the past week after a knife attack in Southport
Getty/ PA
Protests have been taking place across the country after the killing of three girls in a knife attack in Southport.
Many of these demonstrations have turned violent with police having made hundreds of arrests and sustaining serious injuries.
In response to the violence, Starmer has held multiple Cobra meetings and last night warned the rioters would face "the full force of the law".
He also chaired an emergency Cabinet meeting where he warned the Government would "take all necessary action to bring the disorder to an end".
This poll shows 49 per cent of the public thinks Starmer is dealing with the riots badly compared to 31 per cent
YouGov
But according to a new YouGov poll, almost half of people believe the Prime Minister had handled the riots badly.
The poll found that 49 per cent of 2,114 adults surveyed on Monday felt Starmer was dealing with the riots badly while only 31 per cent agreed he was managing it well.
It also found 43 per cent of respondents said that Home Secretary Yvette Cooper was handling the situation poorly and only 23 per cent said her response was good.
Only 14 per cent of Britons surveyed said politicians were generally handling the unrest well.
There is more support in how the police are handling the riots with 52 per cent saying they are dealing with the situation well.
Some 52 per cent say they are handling the situation well, although only 13 per cent think they are handling it "very well."
A third of Britons (34 per cent) believe the police have handled the riots badly with the figure rising to 47 per cent for those who backed Reform UK in the 2024 General Election.
Although Britons are fairly confident in how they have handled the riots so far, few believe in the police's ability to protect people and property from further unrest.
Only 38 per cent say they have confidence, including 6 per cent who have "a lot" of confidence, while 58 per cent express little to no confidence in the police's ability to protect them.
Robert Jenrick, a frontrunner in the Tory leadership campaign has accused Starmer of having a "dithered and delayed" response to the riots, explaining that it took him six days to call the first Cobra meeting.
Another leadership contender James Cleverly has also called for the Government to be "much more proactive".
The poll results show 39 per cent of Britons think the police are dealing with the situation "fairly well" and 20 per cent "fairly bad"
YouGov
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It comes as the UK Government say 6,000 specialist police are on standby to deal with a new wave of protests planned around the UK.
The director of public prosecution Stephen Parkinson also said there is potential for rioters to be charged under terrorism law.
He said: "If certain elements are in place, if behaviour of this kind is motivated by ideology or political persuasion, it’s designed to intimate the public, there’s an element of planning, we will definitely consider terrorism offences and those can result in even stiffer sentences."
On Wednesday, three rioters were jailed after admitting to their roles in rioting in what was the first sentences at the Crown Court over the disorder.