The July general election result was extraordinary in many ways, not least because of the stark divide in the votes of graduates and non-graduates. Labour ate up votes amongst those with a university degree, defeating the Conservatives by 42 points to 18.
But the Tories did slightly better than Labour amongst those with GCSEs or lower (31 vs 28). And if Reform hadn’t stood, that gap might have been wider, as 23% opted for Reform this time around.
With a 411 majority, its tempting to bank the wins. But in the longer term, and certainly by the time of the next election, Labour would do well to pay attention to how the party can improve its position amongst non-graduates.
