New research: Labour’s new voter coalition ‘sceptical of big business’ and want more rights at work.

By Keir Cozens, Managing Consultant at Stonehaven and former Parliamentary Labour Party Secretary and Director of Political Services at the Labour Party. 

“It would be wrong for business leaders to assume that Labour’s workers’ rights agenda is simply a pitch to the core voter base of the party. As our new research shows, Labour’s broad-based coalition of voters, secured at the election, has an expectation that the new government will reform working practices in line with societal changes. 

“This is not about satisfying the party base – it is part of the strategy to consolidate Labour’s new electoral coalition.  

“The workforce is a huge public policy priority for Labour if the new government is to secure economic growth. For business, that means pioneering forward-thinking employment practices that contribute to greater productivity; as well as being a partner to government in getting more people into the workforce, with more than nine million people now economically inactive.” 

There has been much speculation about the form and content of the Government’s forthcoming Employment Rights Bill. Originally billed as Labour’s New Deal for Working People, the package of reforms evolved into ‘Labour’s New Deal to Make Work Pay’ during the general election campaign. 

The re-branding sought to demonstrate Labour’s focus on strengthening the workforce, with its plan to get more people into employment, including the now more than nine million economically inactive people in the UK. In addition, of course, to securing better rights for workers, a key issue for Labour’s affiliated trade unions. 

Ahead of Labour Party conference, Stonehaven has taken a deep dive into the attitudes of a key group of voters you should expect to hear a lot more about: Labour’s so-called ‘Hero Voters’. Using our proprietary data, Stonehaven has undertaken a comprehensive look at what this group of voters think about rights at work, trade unions, business and regulation.  

But as speculation mounts about what will feature in the Bill, what does Labour’s new coalition of voters think about the current state of workers’ rights, the role of trade unions and if businesses are contributing enough to the country? And why does this matter to business leaders?  

Labour’s ‘Hero Voters’ 

Labour’s core vote stuck with the party during its defeats from 2010 onwards. They comprise a segment of the electorate that is loyal to Labour irrespective of what brand of party is on offer. They are insufficient to win a general election, and at the last election, Labour’s electoral strategy was not principally focused on this group. 

In 2024, Labour’s electoral task was to persuade a new target group of voters – what party strategists coined Labour’s ‘Hero Voters’ - to return to Labour having voted for another party at previous elections, or to vote for the party for the first time. 

These Hero Voters are the people that Labour needs to consolidate as loyal supporters if the party is to have a shot at realising Keir Starmer’s 10-year mission to ‘rebuild Britain’. They comprise around 13% of the electorate – some 6.7 million people, and Stonehaven analysis shows that they can be broken down into five key segments: ‘Reform UK-inclined Professionals’ (42%); ‘Optimistic Globalists’ (18%); ‘Pragmatic Starters’ (14%); ‘Measured Realists’ (12%); and ‘Grounded Youth’ (14%). We will publish detailed profiles of these voter groups in the coming days, including their demographics, characteristics, values, incomes and the five highest indexing constituencies in which they are found.  

What they think about business 

Labour Party strategists and message carriers, from Shadow Cabinet Members to local parliamentary candidates, were relentless in targeting these new Hero Voters throughout the entire general election campaign.  

It is only with this new coalition of voters (new Hero Voters alongside Labour’s traditional base) that Labour has secured a huge Commons majority and ended 14 years of Conservative government. What this key pool of voters thinks really matters to the new government and crucially, to their ability to win again at the next election.  

With Labour’s relationship with businesses being paramount, and its stated intent to reform rights at work, key findings from our data show that:

- More than 4 in 5 (86%) believe that employees should have the right to switch off outside of working hours;  

- Over three quarters (77%) believe that workers should be given more rights from their employers; and  

- Three quarters (73%) do not agree that ‘the new Labour government is putting the interests of the trade unions ahead of the interests of the country’. 

Support from across the five segments of Hero Voters means that the government not only has political cover to deliver these workplace reforms, but that these voters want to see it happen. 

Our data also highlights the scepticism that now exists across this influential group of voters in their approach to big business. Across the five segments, there is a large majority that want to see big business play a more positive and active role in society. Our data shows that:  

- 85% believe that big business needs to do more to contribute to society in the UK;  

- Nearly three quarters (74%) believe that workers are still vulnerable to exploitation in the UK; and  

- Businesses should prioritise pay, safety and training over things like ‘awareness days’. 

In addition to the specific rights at work, attitudes to business and role of trade unions, we also analysed how Hero Voters view the early performance of this government. Despite still being in the perceived 'honeymoon’ period of a newly elected party, the government will still be pleased to see that when asked, ‘in your view, how is the current government performing?’, seven in ten Hero Voters see the performance so far as positive.  

What does this mean for your business? 

There is a huge opportunity to engage with the new government on this agenda – one that will remain vital for the entire parliamentary term. This new data shows that Labour’s plans to enhance rights at work is not about pleasing Labour-affiliated trade unions or the party’s traditional core vote - it is a direct response to a target group of voters who have become sceptical of big business and want to see government deliver both a pro-worker and pro-business agenda.   

“Unlike in 1997 when the parliamentary party was to the left of the new voter coalition, attitudes to work and workers’ rights have shifted as scepticism toward big business has increased. Rather than defending the status quo, businesses should partner with government and trade unions on collective efforts to increase productivity by advancing forward thinking practices and investing in the workforce for the longer term” – Keir Cozens, Managing Consultant at Stonehaven 

Trade unions should be seen as partners to engage with on shared agendas, not least on driving economic growth, productivity and a fair transition to a decarbonised economy. Hero Voters see them as important defenders of workers’ rights. 

Parliamentary seats with the highest indexing groups of Hero Voters have new MPs who can become powerful allies to advocate for policies and delivery. Showing them impact in their constituencies will be key if they are to advance policies and government delivery.   

Think about which Hero Voters are most relevant to your business or your campaigns, and therefore how to tailor engagement to these audiences, because the government will be thinking in the same way.   

Labour sees increased economic activity as a prerequisite to growing the UK economy. The workforce – not just rights at work – is a priority area of public policy across government departments. Government is looking for partners to address economic inactivity, including reskilling, routes to work and training.   

To find out more, please get in touch via [email protected]

Download the full report here.

For data tables, please access September polling here