British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during a news conference in London on Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021. ©Jeff Gilbert/APPublic trust in the British government has declined in recent years, while it has increased elsewhere in Europe, according to a poll Gallup published today on its blog.
The US analyst firm found that around one in three Britons say they trust their leaders, the second-lowest rate in the G7 group of wealthy nations.
At the same time, public trust in the governments of Germany, France and Italy increased between 2006 and 2022.
When Gallup first measured national trust around the world nearly two decades ago, Tony Blair’s Labor government in Britain had one of the highest confidence rates in the G7 at 49%.
Trust in government collapsed in 2022, especially among Britons who approved of their country’s leadership (38%).
That’s the lowest level of trust in the world among people who approve of their leadership, Gallup says.
It is linked only to Lebanon, a country in crisis that has experienced one the worst depressions in historyaccording to the World Bank.
In Italy, public confidence jumped from 24% in 2006 to 41% in 2022, while in France, a more modest increase from 32% to 46% was recorded by Gallup.
Under the firm leadership of Angela Merkel and now Olaf Scholz, Germany has the utmost confidence in Europe, consolidating its position in the electorate from 32% to 61%.
The results are a worrying sign for Britain’s Conservative leadership, which faces re-election next year.
Gallup found that public trust in the UK government “changed dramatically” in 2022 under scandal-prone Boris Johnson.
Several major events during his tenure sent shockwaves through the country’s political system, including Brexit, the ‘Partygate’ scandal involving drunken nights out on Downing Street during the COVID lockdowns and the frequent turnover of first ministers.
He has had four PMs in as many years, since 2019.
