Reform as popular as Labour with trade union members, polling reveals
The polling revealed that members believe Nigel Farage would be a leader who would do the most for working people
Reform UK is now as popular as Labour among trade union members, new polling has shown.
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The two parties have tied on 28 per cent support among trade union members, as Sir Keir Starmer's party has been hit with a 20 point drop in support since the 2024 election.
Reform beat Labour among members of the GMB and Unite - Labour's two biggest union donors.
The polling revealed that members believe Nigel Farage would be a leader who would do the most for working people.
Despite this, Sir Keir pulled ahead when he was polled against Mr Farage.
The Reform leader said the findings showed Sir Keir's party is “no longer the party of the patriotic working class”.
Mr Farage said: “That mantle now belongs to Reform, who are the party of those who work hard but for whom the system doesn’t work.”
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This comes as Labour lost hundreds of seats from traditional working-class areas to Reform during May's local elections.
Cabinet ministers including foreign secretary Yvette Cooper, energy secretary Ed Miliband, defence secretary John Healey, and culture secretary Lisa Nandy are currently in seats threatened by Reform.
Mr Farage has backed policies such as steel nationalisation and reopening Welsh coal mines in a bid to seek favour with traditional Labour voters.
He also claimed he wanted to seek a "sensible relationship" with unions.
Union leaders have slammed Sir Keir's cut to winter fuel allowance and net zero policies - citing that as the reason for dwindling Labour support.
Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite, said the findings of the survey by JL Partners via The Times, were "damning but not surprising".
Ms Graham told The Times: “Labour has abandoned the working class, and now the working class has abandoned Labour.
“Being prepared to cut the winter fuel allowance, slash benefits for the disabled and aid and abet a jobless transition for oil and gas workers at the same time as workers and their families struggle with a baked-in cost-of-living crisis was not the change that people voted for.”
Gary Smith of the GMB said: “Labour has to show working class people it is on their side – as it did with last week’s essential help for our ceramics industry.”
He said of recent net zero policies: “Doubling down on ideologically driven energy policies that kill jobs and opportunities in our communities without anything decent to replace them will simply alienate more and more workers. That’s a recipe for electoral disaster.”
Maryam Eslamdoust, the leader of the TSSA union for transport workers, said the poll revealed Labour “desperately needs a leader with real solutions to the cost-of-living crisis”.
Steve Wright, the leader of the Fire Brigades Union, said the fall in Labour support was a “consequence of Keir Starmer’s government failing to break with Tory austerity and properly deliver for workers”.
A Labour spokesman told the newspaper: “Labour is, and always has been, the party of working people, from delivering the biggest upgrade of workers rights in a generation to boosting the national minimum and living wage.
“There is still more to be done to ease the pressure of the cost of living and put more money back in people’s pockets, and that is exactly what we will continue working every day to deliver.”