Labour members would welcome high-profile defections from the Greens, but oppose any from the Conservatives or Reform UK, exclusive polling for LabourList reveals.
Polling, conducted by Survation, found that two-thirds (68 percent) of Labour members would welcome a high-profile Green politician defecting to Labour, compared to just 17 percent opposed.
However, when asked about a potential defection from a high-profile Reform politician, almost four-fifths (79 percent) would be against welcoming them to Labour, compared to just 12 percent.
On a potential Conservative defection, Labour members would be more split – with 47 percent opposed, while almost a third (32 percent) would be willing to accept a Tory defector.
The poll was conducted before the Green Party adopted a controversial ‘Zionism is racism’ motion at their party conference earlier this month.
It comes following speculation that Luke Campbell, Reform UK Mayor for Hull and East Yorkshire. is on defection watch to Labour. However, Campbell has denied the allegations and said: “I have not had any conversations with any other party about defection. I am a Reform mayor. I don’t know where these rumours have come from and there is no basis for them.”
Ahead of the 2024 general election, three Conservatives defected to Labour; Dan Poulter, Natalie Elphicke, and Christian Wakeford – who was later elected as a Labour MP.
Survation, a member of the British Polling Council and a Market Research Society Partner, surveyed 1,073 readers of LabourList who also said they were Labour Party members between September 19 and 22.
Data was weighted to the profile of Labour Party Members. Data were weighted by region, sex, age group and 2025 deputy leadership vote. Targets for weighting were drawn from the British Election Study and the result of the 2025 deputy leadership election.
Become a friend of LabourList and join our community. Our friends support our vital non-factional work and get access to exclusive content and events.
Subscribe here to our daily newsletter roundup of Labour news, analysis and comment– and follow us on TikTok, Facebook. You can also write to our editor to share your thoughts on our stories and share your own. The best letters are published every Sunday.
