Labour has rebuilt its relationship with low-income people,
according to a new study by the Centre for Social Justice, while
the Conservatives have lost ground significantly.
Five years ago, Labour was seen as the most “out of touch” party,
according to voters on the lowest incomes (some 6 million
households with an income of less than £21,000).
Nearly half of those questioned in 2019 (45 per cent) regarded
Labour as ‘out of touch”. But this figure has plummeted under Sir
Keir Starmer's leadership with just of a quarter of low-income
people (27 per cent) now taking this view.
The Conservative Party now hold this unenviable reputation with
40 per cent of the poorest voters seeing it as out of touch, up 6
per cent since 2019.
The figures come from Breadline Britain's Election
Battleground, a new report from the Centre for Social
Justice, which commissioned polling by Survation.
Labour is overwhelmingly the most popular party amongst the
poorest, with half of those polled saying they would vote for it.
This is a 14 per cent increase since 2019. Meanwhile,
Conservative support among this group has dropped by 8 per cent
to just 15 per cent overall.
However, despite Labour regaining ground among low-income voters,
the report warns that politicians remain deeply unpopular, with
more than half of low-income voters, 57 per cent, saying that “no
political party really cares about helping people like
me”.
It points to a clear disconnect between low-income voters and the
politicians who are meant to represent them. Over three quarters
(76 per cent) of the poorest say they have never met or spoken to
their local MP.
The report is unequivocal: “there is absolutely no change across
the five years in the proportions of low-income voters who think
the Conservative and Labour parties don't understand what it's
like to struggle”.
The CSJ's analysis identifies five clear national challenges that
the next government need to focus on: good work, stable families,
strong communities, public safety, and giving children the best
start in life.
They go on to provide five recommendations for political parties
looking to win the votes of low-income households.
- Make work pay
- Create safe streets
- Build stable communities
- Support fragile families
- Champion the lost generation
Andy Cook, Chief Executive of the Centre for Social Justice,
said:
“The more voters feel listened to by a party, the more in-touch
the parties are, the more likely they are to vote for that
party.
“It is time for all parties to make social justice their
priority. Not simply because it is the right thing to do, but
because it strengthens our democracy and re-engages people with
their political representatives. Only this will end
lure of the populists, with their “curse on all your houses”
politics, who want us to waste our vote in protest, rather than
on solutions.
“I am an optimist. We can do better. If we focus on the long-term
root causes of our troubles – like making work pay and supporting
fragile families - rather than quick-fix sticking plasters, then
we have the talent and resources to rebuild our future.”
Polling:
Research carried out by Survation.
Sample size: 1,029
Methodology: People aged 18+ whose household income is below
£21,000 and live in Great
Britain were interviewed online.
Fieldwork dates: 5th – 11th June 2024
