Green leaders urge engagement with Reform voters to address inequality
Speaking at a Compass conference in east London, Green party leaders distinguished between Reform UK’s leadership and its voters, arguing that decades of austerity have left many behind and require policy-focused engagement rather than dismissal.
Green party co-leaders Zack Polanski and Caroline Lucas have cautioned that the party must actively engage with voters attracted to Reform UK to effectively address structural inequality. Speaking at a conference organised by the leftwing campaign group Compass in east London, the leaders argued that dismissing these voters overlooks the impact of prolonged economic hardship.
Polanski, who was elected Green party leader last year, highlighted that recent polling indicates 27 per cent of the electorate would vote for Reform in a general election, potentially paving the way for Nigel Farage to become prime minister. He drew a sharp distinction between the party’s leadership and its electorate, stating that the latter have been left behind by decades of austerity and successive governments that often speak to them with condescension.
The former leader of the Green party, Caroline Lucas, echoed these sentiments, describing the concerns of Reform voters as legitimate given the prolonged cost of living crisis. She noted that after 20 years of economic strain and unfulfilled promises from other national governments, it is unsurprising that voters act with desperation and consider alternative options.
Polanski argued that the focus should remain on economic disparity rather than migration. He contrasted the plight of individuals fleeing their lives via small boats with the actions of multimillionaires and billionaires who accumulate wealth while travelling by private jet, asserting that the latter represents the true problem of inequality.
The leaders also addressed the upcoming Makerfield byelection on 18 June, which is widely viewed as a significant test for Labour’s Andy Burnham as he seeks a return to parliament. The contest features Green candidate Sarah Wakefield, Labour’s Burnham, Reform UK’s Robert Kenyon, and Restore Britain’s Rupert Lowe.
Lucas noted that while Reform UK faces a strong challenge from Burnham and vote-squeezing from the new hard-right party Restore Britain, its candidate Kenyon has faced widespread criticism for his social media posts. She stopped short of suggesting that Wakefield should withdraw to prevent splitting the leftwing vote, but emphasised the byelection’s importance for the debate on electoral reform.
Lucas described the byelection as consequential due to Burnham’s support for proportional representation, a long-standing goal of the Green party. She stated that such reform is the only way to fix Britain’s democracy, reinforcing the party’s institutional focus on governance structures over partisan performance.