Reform party now undisputed choice of the working class

A fresh survey is reshuffling assumptions about the British left: once-solid trade-union support for the Labour Party has cracked, and many working-class members are now backing Reform UK. The poll not only shows parity between Reform and Labour among union members, it also finds Nigel Farage emerging as the most trusted figure to champion working people — a striking reversal from recent political norms.

That shift reveals fractures inside unions themselves, pitting rank-and-file members against officials who remain loyal to Labour. The results point to deeper cultural and policy tensions that are reshaping party allegiance in former Labour strongholds.

Poll snapshot: unions split, Farage gains ground

New polling indicates a dramatic erosion of Labour’s hold on trade-union voters since the 2024 general election. Support for the party among union members has fallen sharply, while Reform UK has made steady gains, leaving both parties level at roughly the same share of backing.

Key findings from the survey include:

• Labour’s share among union members has plunged by approximately 20 percentage points since the last general election.
• Reform UK’s support has risen by about 12 points in that span, driving the two parties to parity at about the high-20s percentage.
• A clear plurality of union members now feel that Labour is out of touch with working people, signaling a perceptual as well as a numerical change.

Union-by-union breakdown: where Reform is winning

Not every union is moving in the same direction, but the pattern is striking in some of the largest organizations that represent blue-collar and service-sector workers.

Which unions lean Reform and which remain Labour-friendly

• Unite: A significant slice of Unite’s membership now prefers Reform over Labour. Unite covers a broad swath of sectors — manufacturing, construction, transport, hospitality, healthcare and more — and the poll shows Reform with the edge among these voters.
• GMB: Members of the GMB, which organizes across care, construction, transport, energy and local government, are also tilting toward Reform by a noticeable margin.
• Unison: Representing many in healthcare and education support roles, Unison members remain more evenly divided, with Labour holding only a narrow lead.
• Prospect, PCS and NEU: These unions — representing professionals, civil servants and teachers respectively — remain more likely to back Labour, underscoring a class and occupational split within the trade-union movement.

Two unions, two electorates: the class divide inside organized labour

The data sketch a clear picture: working-class union members in hands-on industries are increasingly receptive to Reform’s populist messaging, while middle- and professional-class union members are sticking with Labour. It’s the emergence of a bifurcated union electorate.

This divergence reflects not only economic concerns but also cultural and policy grievances. In communities that voted strongly for Brexit and historically formed Labour’s “Red Wall,” Reform’s gains have been particularly pronounced. Local election setbacks — including dramatic council swings in towns that had been Labour bastions for decades — have contributed to the perception that Labour no longer represents core working-class priorities.

Rank-and-file versus leadership: a growing internal rupture

Beyond differences between unions, there is a widening gulf inside many unions themselves: officials often publicly defend Labour while a large portion of ordinary members express frustration with the party. That disconnect is becoming politically consequential.

Union general secretaries and senior officers have pushed back against Reform’s appeal. Some leaders warn members that Reform would roll back essential workplace protections and target pensions and benefits. Yet these warnings sometimes clash with the lived experience and preferences of the membership.

• Union leaders point to policy choices — such as cuts to benefits and certain green policies — as drivers of the shift back toward populist alternatives.
• Membership votes are beginning to reflect discontent: at least one large union recently voted to reduce the financial contribution it sends to Labour by a substantial margin.

That vote to trim Labour affiliation funding — for instance, a reported 40 percent cut in one union’s allocation — signals that formal ties between unions and Labour are under strain and that the unions’ barometer of support is changing.

Why some union members feel Labour has lost them

Part of the explanation is cultural. Many rank-and-file members feel that union priorities have drifted toward social and institutional agendas that don’t reflect the immediate economic concerns of working households. Complaints range from how equality and classroom issues are handled to the ways unions prioritize particular campaigns.

Examples of the friction include:

• Perceptions that union attention has gravitated toward high-profile professional disputes rather than the day-to-day needs of care workers, construction crews and factory employees.
• Frustration among some members with union responses to cultural controversies and how workplaces should manage sensitive matters related to gender, faith and international conflicts.
• Concerns that union leaderships are more closely aligned with party politics and institutional alliances than with grassroots member priorities.

Those tensions have fed a narrative among many working-class voters that Labour no longer centers their interests — a narrative Reform has been effective at exploiting.

Political and financial consequences for Labour and the unions

The growing disconnect has clear ramifications. Labour risks losing its traditional role as the main parliamentary vehicle for working-class interests if unions reduce formal support and members increasingly look elsewhere at election time.

Financially, cuts to affiliation payments and shifting membership loyalties reduce the practical leverage unions have in party politics. Politically, the split makes it harder for Labour to claim an uncontested claim to working-class voters in the parts of the country that once formed its backbone.

• Smaller affiliation payments mean less funding flowing from unions to the party and potentially fewer institutional links between the two.
• Local election upsets in formerly stable Labour areas demonstrate how quickly community-level allegiance can change when voters feel their interests are overlooked.

Joanna Williams writes regularly on politics and culture and is the author of a book on how contemporary progressive ideas have reshaped public life. Follow her work on Substack for further commentary and analysis.

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Robert Johnson

Robert Johnson is a dedicated columnist focusing on political and social debates. With twelve years in editorial writing, he provides nuanced, well‑argued perspectives. His commentaries invite you to form your own views and engage in critical issues.