More British Jews voting Labour rather than Tory at general election, survey shows
Community voting intention survey by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR) shows 46% of Jews intend to vote Labour while 30% intend to back the Tories on July 4
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
More British Jews are intending to vote Labour than Conservative at next month’s general election, in what represents a dramatic surge in support for Keir Starmer’s party, a major new survey has revealed.
The largest ever Jewish voting intentions survey conducted by the respected Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR) organisation showed that 46% of Jews intend to vote Labour on July 4th.
This compares to 30% of Jews in the UK who say they plan to vote Conservative.
The figures, based on the responses by 2,717 members of the JPR Research Panel to the 2024 Jewish Current Affairs Survey, are an apparent vindication of Starmer’s pledge to root antisemitism out of his party.
Jewish support for Labour had slumped to an all-time low of less than 11% in the 2019 General Election under Jeremy Corbyn.
Responding to the JPR poll results Mike Katz, national chair of the Jewish Labour Movement, said: “This is a great poll for Labour – one that you would hardly think possible given the nadir of 2019. It underlines how far and fast we have changed as a party since then.
“It backs up what we are picking up on the doorsteps – Jewish people recognise that Keir Starmer has made good on his promise of zero tolerance for antisemitism and that Labour has been transformed under his leadership.”
Dr Jonathan Boyd, JPR Executive Director and co-author of the report: “Viewed as a collective, British Jews intend to vote very similarly to the UK population as a whole, and clearly favour the Labour Party over the Conservatives on the eve of the 2024 General Election.
“Their views have evolved over the course of the current parliament along very similar trajectories to the British electorate as a whole, and their tendency to support the Labour Party has bounced back since the 2019 General Election.”
The poll showed that support for Labour amongst Jews at 46% was now higher than the average 42% of the general publication who said they backed Starmer’s party.
While the 30% support for the Tories was also higher than the to 22% who are backing the party nationally.
In the 2017 election, 67% of Jewish voters backed the Tories and 11% supported Labour, according to figures supplied by JPR.
The survey showed British Jews were far more likely to vote for the big two parties than is the case with the wider population.
The poll showed 10% of British Jews supporting the Green Party (compared with 6% in the general population), 8% supporting the Liberal Democrats (11% general UK), 6% supporting Reform UK (15%) and under 1% supporting SNP or Plaid Cymru (3%).
Data was gathered between 16-20 June 2024 and compared with previous JPR data gathered annually during the current parliament.
The poll also showed there are significant differences in Jewish people’s voting intentions by denomination, with themore traditional and orthodox religious sectors much more likely to lean Conservative and the progressive and unaffiliated sectors much more likely to lean Labour.
Young Jewish voters are much more likely than their elders to prefer a party other than Labour, Conservative or the Liberal Democrats.
Conservative voting increases substantially across age and religiosity; Jewish women are more likely to vote Labour than Jewish men; and 29.2% of Jews under the age of 30 say they will vote for neither of the big parties.
JLM’s Katz added: “Jeremy Corbyn has been kicked out of Labour and a significant number of Jewish candidates and JLM allies are running for parliament.
“We don’t expect every Jew to vote Labour; but this poll shows they feel they have a proper choice at the ballot box – a choice they were denied in 2019.
“Labour is once again a safe space for Jews. We urge everyone who thinks it’s time for change after 14 years of Conservative chaos to vote Labour next Thursday.”
Dr Jonathan Boyd, added the survey showed “significant distinctions among Jews when examined by denomination – the more religiously conservative are much more likely to favour the Conservatives than the more religiously progressive or secular, who favour Labour.
“There is no evidence to demonstrate a significant shift in Jewish people’s political allegiances overall following the October 7 attacks in Israel, the subsequent war in Gaza and rising concerns about antisemitism in Britain; whilst these issues are of great concern to most British Jews, their influence on Jewish voting behaviour appears to be limited.”
The JPR 2024 Jewish Current Affairs Survey gives Jews across the UK a pivotal opportunity to share their
experiences and express their opinions about how different events have affected Jewish life in the UK
over the past year.
The latest survey is the sixth run using the JPR Research Panel, launched initially during the Covid-19 pandemic, to provide essential information to help Jewish charities navigate the crisis.
A poll of British Jews conducted by Survation last week for the JC had suggested the Conservatives would win 42% of the Jewish Vote, down 22% since 2019, while Labour would win 33%, up 27%.
It had suggested the rise for Labour’s vote share within the community has come primarily at the expense of the Lib Dems.
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