More than half of people who voted Labour at the last election and then voted Leave in the Brexit referendum have now abandoned the party, a new poll has found.
The YouGov poll of 3,285 adults found just 48 per cent of Leave voters who had backed Labour in 2015 still intended to vote for the party, as concern grows that the party’s middle class leadership is out-of-touch with working class voters on issues such as immigration.
The poll found that of those who backed the party in 2015 and then voted for Brexit, only 48 per cent would still vote Labour.
However, those who have abandoned the party are unsure where to go. Nine per cent say they will vote Conservative, eight per cent are now backing UKIP, but a quarter say they do not know who they will back.
The findings present a significant opportunity for UKIP, who have been targeting former Labour voters in northern industrial areas who back Brexit due to fears of high immigration.
The YouGov poll also shows stark differences in voting intentions between people who vote Leave and those who back Remain.
Overall, the Conservatives have 39 per cent support, with Labour on 30 per cent and UKIP on 13 per cent. However, among people who voted Leave, the Conservatives enjoy 50 per cent support, UKIP on 26 per cent and Labour on just 15 per cent.
The party’s poor performance among Leave voters should cause great concern among the Labour Party leadership as 35 per cent of those who voted for the party in 2015 went on the vote Leave.
Leave voters are also more likely to see the party as out-of-touch, indecisive and weak.
Among those who have deserted the party, 71 per cent cite the chaotic leadership of Jeremy Corbyn as one of the reasons while 56 per cent do not believe Labour capable of forming a competent government.