According to surveys from 4 to 6 January, 16 per cent of the public approved of the government, down one point from the previous week, while 63 per cent disapproved – giving Sir Keir’s administration a net approval rating of -47, just below that of Rishi Sunak’s government in May 2023.

The draft legislation passed its first Commons hurdle in a vote on Wednesday following a bitter Prime Minister’s Questions.