New research has revealed a huge lead for Labour in coastal towns and communities.
Exclusive polling from the Fabian Society shows that in 108 constituencies in England and Wales that contain at least one coastal town, Labour leads with 52% of the vote.
Coastal towns and communities – dubbed the ‘sea wall’ – will be vital in the race to win the general election – and Labour has never led the Tories in these regions by such a margin before.
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The polling shows the Conservatives lag behind on 21%, with the Reform party fairly close behind that with 14% of the vote.
This represents a significant 31% lead and a swing of 27 percentage points compared to 2019.
Turning tide?
Though often neglected, coastal towns are a vital and distinctive group that have long been an indicator of which political party will be the governing one, with the coast often voting in line with political change.
It is why most coastal seats are currently held by the Conservatives.
But, according to this new research, the tide could be turning.
Some 44% of voters in the sea wall said they would never consider voting Conservative now, compared to 29% for Labour.
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When asked which political party, if any, would be better at tackling the cost of living, 38% of respondents in the sea wall selected Labour – compared to 23% that chose the Conservatives.
The poll was conducted between 17 and 18 January on behalf of YouGov and the Fabian Society, which is affiliated with the Labour Party.
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