News

The Times

7 June 2025

What to expect in Rachel Reeves’s spend, spend, spending review

According to a poll of more than 2,000 people by the think tank More in Common, voters were as likely to trust Reform as Labour on the economy (both at 22 per cent). In a head-to-head between Starmer and Farage, the public were split; 51 per cent chose the prime minister and 49 per cent chose Farage.

Britons tended to think Reform posed a threat to the economy, but many thought it was worth the risk. By a margin of 46 per cent to 29 per cent, voters thought that a Reform government would pose a risk to the economy — but 40 per cent said that Reform could not be any worse than the other parties. By a large margin of 49 per cent to 15 per cent, voters supported Reform’s policies on tax and welfare.

Politico

3 June 2025

Keir Starmer is banking on Nigel Farage being toxic. What if he’s wrong?

The center-left Labour leader is anything but popular — and his nemesis appears to be detoxifying in the eyes of the electorate.

“⁠It’s true Farage has high negatives, but so does Starmer — after a term in office and an incumbency drag, a one-on-one fight might not be to his benefit,” said Luke Tryl, of the More in Common think tank.

“The Democrats thought this about Trump in 2016, and a little in 2024, that he was the easier opponent — well, look how that worked out.”

The Daily Mail

1 June 2025

From Glastonbury festival goers to pub garden enthusiasts: How your summer plans indicate which political party you're likely to vote for

And 28 per cent of Wimbledon fans would vote for Reform, with 23 per cent backing the Conservatives and 21 per cent Labour, the poll by More in Common found.

Reform also wins with a landslide among staycationers and pub garden enthusiasts. Ed Hodgson, of More in Common, said: 'In Britain, voters have traditionally voted along class lines – and this polling shows how many of those boundaries are now blurring.

'The Wimbledon finding is particularly striking... often seen as a marker of middle-class Britain, Wimbledon's audience doesn't fit the caricature of Reform's base.'

He added: 'As disillusionment with mainstream politics spreads, it is possible many of these Conservative loyalists will consider voting for Reform...'

The Guardian

27 May 2025

How voter dissatisfaction could give Reform a Holyrood byelection boost

Drawing on a focus group organised by More in Common ahead of the 5 June byelection for the Holyrood seat of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, in Scotland’s central belt.

It’s “time to give someone else a chance,” says Jamie, a service engineer from Hamilton.

The language is “shockingly familiar”, says Tryl, to what he’s heard from disillusioned voters in England and Wales. While Farage has historically struggled to gain a foothold in Scotland, Tryl suggests this “could be starting to change”.

Sky News

19 May 2025

People do feel like strangers in Britain - but it's not just because of migration, polling finds

Last week, Sir Keir Starmer voiced his worry Britain could become an "island of strangers" if immigration was not tackled.

Luke Tryl, the UK director of More in Common, said: "The prime minister's warning that we risk becoming an 'island of strangers' resonates with millions who say they feel disconnected from those around them.

"But it would be a mistake to say that immigration and lack of integration are the sole causes of our fragmenting social fabric."

The Times

19 May 2025

Britons feel detached from society and distrustful of strangers

Britons feel disconnected from society, wary of other people and worried about community tensions, according to a survey.

A poll of more than 13,000 British adults found that 50 per cent said they felt disengaged and 44 per cent said that they sometimes felt like a stranger in their own country.

The study marks the inception of a national project, This Place Matters, focused on strengthening social bonds and backed by the UCL Policy Lab, the campaign group Citizens UK and More In Common.