Keir Starmer's approval rating overtakes Boris Johnson's for the first time, igniting hopes of a Labour revival

In a remarkable achievement for just a few short weeks on the job, Labour's new leader Keir Starmer has overtaken Boris Johnson's approval rating by one point, according to the net ratings.

The YouGov survey found that 40 per cent of Brits believe the Labour leader is doing either "fairly well" or "very well" and 17 per cent think he is performing "fairly badly" or "very badly".

Johnson on the other hand, has more people thinking he is doing "fairly well" or "very well" at 57 per cent, but is more divisive, with 35 per cent think he is doing "fairly badly" or "very badly."

This is the first time that a Labour leader has outperformed a Tory leader in years, giving a much-needed boost to Labour morale.

In recent weeks Starmer has demonstrated a formidable, analytical presence in Parliament, asking the questions on everyone’s lips during his BBC speech as Leader of the Opposition, as Johnson’s addresses become increasingly difficult to decipher.

Starmer has rejected calls for the Brexit transition period to be extended, saying he would rather “the negotiations were completed as quickly as possible,” supported lockdown, and "offered to work with the government to defeat this dreadful virus."

Starmer’s ratings were best in London, where 43 per cent said he was doing well and 14 per cent badly. In the Midlands, 37 per cent said well and 17 per cent badly; in the North, 42 per cent said well and 15 per cent badly.

This gives the Leader of the Opposition an approval rating of +23. This is 50 points ahead of Jeremy Corbyn, who, in YouGov’s final favourability survey before the election, after which he resigned, had a net score of -27, with one in three Britons (32 per cent) having a favourable view of the Labour leader and 59 per cent an unfavourable view.

You can view the full data sets on Starmer and Johnson on YouGov.