News

Financial Times

1 June 2024

Whitby Woman: the latest target voter should prepare to be wooed

At each general election, there is a voter elevated above the others. At the 1992 election, it was “Mondeo Man”, an aspirational working-class homeowner, worried about taxes and a key demographic for both Labour and the Conservatives. Come 1997, Tony Blair coveted the vote of “Worcester Woman”, a well-to-do working class mother residing in marginal West Midlands seats. Our research suggests that “Whitby Woman” will play an outsized role in shaping the result when the country goes to the polls this time.

BBC News

1 June 2024

Labour's long war inflicts Starmer's first campaign stumble

One focus group conducted by the polling group More in Common on Thursday night reported the issue was raised unprompted by members of the public thinking about who to choose.

One voter switching from Conservative to Labour said: “I worry if I was going to change from one party to another, would I trust somebody that's basically stabbing their own party member in the back?”

The Telegraph

1 June 2024

Voters reject Labour plan to lower voting age to 16

More in Common, who coined the Whitby Woman term, believe that the group could play a crucial role in deciding whether Labour wins by a landslide or is limited to a small majority or even a hung parliament.

The group overwhelmingly voted Tory in 2019 but are disenchanted with the party and may stay at home this election.

According to More in Common, 82 per cent of women in the group oppose the policy, with only 5 per cent supportive.

The Independent

31 May 2024

Rural voters back wind and solar energy farms as Labour leads in countryside

But the poll of more than 2,000 people by More in Common shows that those in 30 of the most “highly rural” constituencies across England, Wales and Scotland think both main party leaders need to show more respect for communities like theirs.

The Daily Mail

31 May 2024

Can 'Whitby Woman' save the Tories from election disaster? The Brexit-backing 60-somethings who could decide Rishi Sunak's fate on July 4

Spelling out the importance of the voting category earlier this week, Luke Tryl of More in Common said: 'For the Conservatives to avoid a 1997 style meltdown they need to win back some of those who voted Conservative in 2019 but now don't know who they will vote for and this group are around 70 per cent female.

'The group has an average age in the early 60s, tend to own their own home and live in a small town or suburb.

'Most don't have a degree and they tend to own their own home outright.'

itvX

31 May 2024

Party leaders waste no time campaigning in Wales but picture is hazy for all of them

A poll of Welsh voters for the More In Common thinktank shows the Labour is still way ahead with support at 45% compared to 21% for the Conservatives.

However, the same poll shows that a third of people think that Labour’s leader in Wales, Vaughan Gething, should resign over the donations scandal.