Who Do Brits Trust to Tackle Crime?

With crime climbing the list of public concerns, new polling reveals a clear picture of public trust in Britain’s political leaders to bring law and order to the streets. While the Labour government has made safety a central part of its narrative, copying policies from the  Blair “tough on crime” playbook and pledging 13,000 more officers into neighbourhood policing roles, these figures suggest that confidence in Keir Starmer’s ability to lead on crime is still a work in progress. Instead, the data shows that Nigel Farage, now a major figure on the political right, is emerging as the public’s top choice across a range of crime and safety issues.

But while Farage dominates the rankings, a striking number of voters still say they trust none of the options available, revealing a deeper apathy with Britain’s political class and their approach to justice, crime prevention and public protection.

Farage Tops the Trust Charts on Crime

Across every crime-related question in our July 2025 poll, Nigel Farage ranks first.

He is trusted most to be tough on crime (30%), implement harsher sentences for criminals (34%), make people feel safer walking the streets (28%), make criminals fear government policy (29%), deport foreign criminals (39%) and crucially, “make Britain safer” overall (27%).

These are not fringe numbers. They place Farage well ahead of Keir Starmer, who hovers in the 18–23% range across the same questions and significantly ahead of Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, whose ratings rarely exceed 14%.

Farage’s dominance is particularly strong among older age groups, those aged 18–24, where he regularly polls between 30% and 50% on law and order questions. Among 65+ voters, he’s trusted by 50% to deport foreign criminals and by 40% to implement harsher sentences.

His strongest backing comes from Reform UK voters, where over 70% select him as their top choice on every crime issue. But he also draws significant support from voters who backed the Conservatives in 2024 with tory supporters favouring Farage over leader Kemi Badenoch across all crime-related questions. This is concerning for the Conservatives who were once well-respected when it comes to crime.

Starmer Leads Among Labour Voters but Struggles Beyond

Despite his previous role as the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Keir Starmer consistently ranks second but trails Farage by a significant margin when it come to crime. On the issue of deporting foreign criminals, Starmer is trusted most by just 18% of the public, compared to 39% for Farage. When asked who they trust to “make Britain safer”, 23% name Starmer, while 27% pick Farage and 26% choose “none of the above”.

That last number is telling. Across the board, around a quarter of the public say they don’t trust any leader on crime. This rises even higher among voters over 35, where trust in political figures is weak across the board. Among those 65 and over, for instance, 31% say they don’t trust any leader to make Britain safer. These levels of disaffection point to a deeper crisis of legitimacy for traditional politics.

That said, Starmer does enjoy clear dominance within his base: 45% of Labour voters say they trust him most to be tough on crime, with 47% backing him to make people feel safer and 38% backing him to deliver harsher sentences. But crucially, those numbers don’t translate outside Labour’s core vote. Among voters who backed the Liberal Democrats, SNP, Greens or didn’t vote in 2024, Starmer’s trust ratings on crime are low.

This suggests that while Labour has consolidated support among its base, the wider public still associates the party with softness on crime.

Kemi Badenoch: Stuck in Third

Kemi Badenoch’s performance is consistent but limited. Across every crime question, she ranks third, polling between 12% and 14%. Her appeal is concentrated among Conservative voters, where around a quarter back her to be tough on crime and deport foreign criminals. But as mentioned, this support is fragile with tory supporters favouring Farage on every question, a concern for the Conservatives.

Badenoch is less known and seen by many voters as part of a party that failed to deliver on crime after being in power for 14 years. Though some see her as a rising star of the right, these numbers show she has not yet broken through with the broader electorate on law and order.

A Lack of a Real Contender

Perhaps the most striking finding is the high number of voters who simply don’t trust any political leader to deal with crime.

Across all six questions, between 20% and 28% say they trust “none of the above”. This number often exceeds support for Starmer or Badenoch and it reaches worrying highs among older voters and women.

Among Green and Liberal Democrat voters, “none of the above” is often the most popular option. Even among Conservative and Labour voters, a sizable chunk express no trust in any leader to implement harsher sentences, deport criminals or make streets feel safer.

This widespread distrust points to a deeper structural problem. After years of headlines about rising knife crime, soft sentencing, overwhelmed courts and underfunded police, many voters no longer believe political leaders, regardless of party, can or will fix the problem.

Download the data tables for this poll.