Young voters hold a much more favourable view of Jeremy Corbyn compared to Sir Keir Starmer, highlighting a potential vulnerability for Labour as it extends voting rights to 16 and 17-year-olds.
Corbyn is launching a new left-wing political party alongside fellow former Labour MP Zarah Sultana.
Although the party’s name is still unclear, its potential to peel off Labour support has already raised concerns within No 10.
While Corbyn remains broadly unpopular across the general electorate, Starmer’s own ratings have recently plummeted to similar lows following a lackluster first year as prime minister. His current net favourability stands at minus 40, closely mirroring Corbyn’s minus 39.
However, Corbyn continues to enjoy significant backing among young voters.
A YouGov survey for The Times showed he holds a net positive rating of plus 18 among 18- to 24-year-olds. In contrast, Starmer receives consistently poor ratings across all age groups.
Earlier this month, Labour unveiled plans to enfranchise 1.6 million 16 and 17-year-olds for the upcoming election – a move that has sparked criticism from the right, accusing the party of trying to manipulate the electoral landscape in its favour.
But new polling data suggests that this strategy might actually bolster left-wing rivals who are gaining traction with disillusioned younger voters, particularly on issues like taxation, immigration, and the situation in Gaza.
Independent pro-Gaza candidates performed especially well in areas with large populations of teenage voters last year. Additionally, there are indications that young women are increasingly shifting to the left.
During his time as Labour leader, Corbyn attracted a surge of youthful support. He claimed that 300,000 people signed up within hours of launching yourparty.uk last week.
This surge came despite ongoing confusion over the group’s official name. While Sultana stated it would not be called “Your Party,” Corbyn later remarked that, “that name could be adopted if it proved popular with supporters.”