One in five Labour members see Greens as biggest electoral threat

More than one in five Labour members see the Green Party as the biggest electoral threat to Labour, according to exclusive polling for LabourList.

The poll, conducted by Survation, revealed that 21% see Zack Polanski’s party as the biggest threat to Labour at the ballot box, second only to Reform UK at 64%.

Concern about the Green threat has risen since Polanski became leader, with only three percent of Labour members saying the Green Party were Labour’s biggest electoral threat in August.

Members who believe the Prime Minister is performing poorly were more likely to class the Greens as Labour’s biggest electoral threat at 26%, compared to just 11% among those who think Starmer is doing well.

Fears of the Green Party threat were particularly strong in the South West, where 36% of members said they posed the biggest electoral challenge, but a plurality (47%) still cited Reform as the biggest threat.

Members who backed Rebecca Long-Bailey in the 2020 leadership contest were the most likely to view the Greens as the biggest electoral threat to Labour, at 34% – but half (50%) still identified Reform as the biggest threat to the party.

Meanwhile, the number of Labour members citing Reform as the biggest threat has fallen 14 points from a high of 78% in September. The number of members citing the Conservatives as the biggest rivals to Labour has fallen from 16% in March to just three percent in our latest poll – tied with the Liberal Democrats.

Survation’s poll for LabourList also found that 61% of Labour members believe the party is heading in the wrong direction, compared to 28% who said it is heading in the right direction.

Exactly half of members who backed Keir Starmer as party leader in 2020 now believe the party is heading in the wrong direction under his leadership, compared with 56% for those who supported Lisa Nandy and 89% for backers of Rebecca Long-Bailey.

Almost four-fifths (79%) of members who supported Lucy Powell for deputy leader this autumn think the party is heading in the wrong direction, compared to 55% of Bridget Phillipson supporters who said the party is moving in the right direction.

READ MORE: Members oppose government’s asylum clampdown – but back specific measures

Emma Burnell, editor for LabourList, said: “As traditional two-party politics continues to decline, the threat to Labour continues to come from both the left and the right. Triangulation is not possible in this era.

“Instead, Labour has to set out what it is for and then deliver on that loudly and proudly. If they are able to do that, members will be less worried about who is a threat to them electorally.”

The poll is the latest in a series of regular polls LabourList is publishing in partnership with leading pollsters Survation, a member of the British Polling Council and a Market Research Society Partner.

Survation surveyed 1,013 readers of LabourList, the leading dedicated newsletter and news and comment website for Labour supporters, who also said they were Labour Party members between November 18 and 20.

Data was weighted to the profile of party members by age, sex, region, 2020 Labour leadership vote and 2025 deputy leadership vote. Targets for weighting were drawn from the British Election Study and the results of the leadership and deputy leadership election.

Subscribe here to our daily newsletter roundup of Labour news, analysis and comment– and follow us on Bluesky, WhatsApp, X and Facebook.

Share your thoughts. Contribute on this story or tell your own by writing to our Editor. The best letters every week will be published on the site. Find out how to get your letter published.

• • SHARE: If you have anything to share that we should be looking into or publishing about this story – or any other topic involving Labour– contact us (strictly anonymously if you wish) at [email protected].
  • SUBSCRIBE: Sign up to LabourList’s morning email here for the best briefing on everything Labour, every weekday morning.
  • DONATE: If you value our work, please chip in a few pounds a week and become one of our supporters, helping sustain and expand our coverage.
  • PARTNER: If you or your organisation might be interested in partnering with us on sponsored events or projects, email [email protected].
  • ADVERTISE: If your organisation would like to advertise or run sponsored pieces on LabourList‘s daily newsletter or website, contact our exclusive ad partners Total Politics at [email protected].