𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Working-class voters who have traditionally supported Labour and more recently the Tories are switching to Reform UK, according to new polling. The “Left Behind” group are set to ditch the two mainstream parties for Nigel Farage’s outfit, the research by Public First found.

Some 28% backed Labour at the last general election which Sir Keir Starmer won by a landslide. But just 12% are planning to stick with the party at the next ballot, while only 9% opted for the Conservatives.

Meanwhile, 28% said they would vote for Nigel Farage’s party, up from 16% in 2024, according to the polling for The Telegraph.

And 12% said they were planning on backing Zack Polanski’s left-wing Greens.

The group includes many of the working-class voters categorised as “DE” under the traditional class system such as manual workers, pensioners and those on benefits.

In 2019, pollsters Ipsos estimated that 41% of DE voters backed the Tories and 29% Labour.

This stood at 32% for Labour and 26% for the Conservatives in the 2024 ballot.

It comes as Labour and the Tories are facing threats from Reform and the Green Party.

Reform is consistently leading national opinion polls and is expected to make major gains in the May local elections.

Meanwhile, the Greens won the crunch Gorton and Denton by-election earlier this month with their polling also up under Mr Polanski’s leadership.

There is speculation Sir Keir Starmer could be ousted after the local ballots amid Labour’s dire poll ratings.