THE GREEN PARTY is targeting Labour-held areas in London, with some voters shifting support ahead of local council elections on May 7.
In Hackney in east London, human rights lawyer Nadeshda Jayakody is among voters moving to the Greens, reflecting a trend among urban voters that could affect British prime minister Keir Starmer in the capital.
As Starmer’s Labour Party takes a tougher line on issues such as immigration in response to the rise of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, it risks losing voters like Jayakody, who had previously backed Labour.
"I just think the Greens align better with what I stand for," said Jayakody, 34, who voted Labour in the 2024 general election, to Reuters.
"Labour is pandering towards the right, towards Reform, rather than trying to lead from the centre or the left."
The London council elections form part of wider votes across Britain that could affect Starmer’s position.
Despite Labour’s win in 2024, opinion polls show Starmer’s ratings have declined since taking office.
After a series of issues and concerns over progress on living standards, Labour is preparing for losses, both to Reform in former industrial areas and to the Greens in cities.
The Greens have gained ground since Zack Polanski became leader in September and moved the party further left.
The party has expanded its agenda to include higher taxes on the rich, rent controls and the legalisation of drugs, and is polling between 15 per cent and 20 per cent nationally, at times ahead of Labour.
The Greens won a parliamentary seat in Greater Manchester in February, raising questions about Labour’s claim that it is the only progressive party able to defeat Reform.
"People on the doorstep in Hackney really were following that and really could see that we are an alternative," said Zoë Garbett, the Green candidate for Hackney mayor, to Reuters.
Garbett said voters in Hackney, where Labour has led the council since the 1970s, were unhappy with Labour over issues including housing and its position on the Gaza war.
Polls indicate close contests in several London boroughs. A YouGov model projected the Greens leading in four boroughs including Hackney, while a JL Partners model showed them slightly ahead in Camden, where Starmer holds his parliamentary seat. Reform could also gain in some outer boroughs.
Starmer has said his government is acting on key priorities, including stabilising public finances, reducing child poverty and cutting hospital waiting lists, during a period of global challenges.
The Greens have faced criticism after some candidates were accused of antisemitism. Polanski, who is Jewish, said one case of antisemitism is one too many, but said it should not be confused with criticism of Israel.
He was criticised by London’s police chief after he retweeted a post on X about the arrest of a man following the stabbing of two Jewish people in north London.
Despite rising support for the Greens in Hackney, some voters said they would still back Labour in an area the party won by nearly 40 percentage points in 2024.
Mel Bagshaw, 69, a photographer, said he had voted Labour before and would do so again, saying the party supported vulnerable people and that the Greens were "slightly too radical for me."
Sophie Bullock, 39, an operations manager who usually votes Labour, said she was undecided, wanting "some consistency and some stability" with Labour but also considering the Greens.
Garbett said voters felt "really let down by the establishment parties" at a national level.
"I think we've seen a real change in politics," she said, "and I think this election is going to be a real change for London."
(With inputs from Reuters)
