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Multiple focus groups of former Tory voters suggested that those who had switched their vote at the last election were not inclined to back to the Conservatives any time soon.

The research by More in Common said the party struggled with relatability, particularly in Lib Dem areas, by focusing on topics “which excite the base, or the highly politically engaged” but were distant from ordinary people’s lives.

“Threat perception” is an attempt to go deeper than identity politics and get to the root of why people vote a certain way, says Luke Tryl, who carried out the polling. What comes through in your view of the state of the world is not merely your perception of physical threat — being worried about criminals slipping through into Britain, for example — but material concerns such as whether you can keep your job or get a hospital appointment.

Luke Tryl, the UK director of More in Common, said the results suggested voters were “somewhat sceptical about Starmer’s country before party pledge”.

He added: “Part of the challenge for Labour surrounds the perception of corruption in politics. The mood remains very much one of a pox on all your houses.”