A new party divide is emerging among British Jews, research has found, with support rising fast for the Greens – buoyed up by younger and “anti-Zionist” Jews – while older Orthodox men turn to Reform UK as trust in the two main parties “collapses”.
Support for Labour and the Conservatives among British Jews had fallen to 58% by July 2025 from nearly 84% in 2020, according to a report from the Institute of Jewish Policy Research (JPR), which said it was “the lowest level we’ve ever recorded by some distance”.
Labour is typically favoured by more “secular” Jews while the Conservative party is traditionally preferred by more “observant” Jews.
Meanwhile, nearly one in five British Jews (18%) were backing the Green party by June 2025 – which the JPR described as “paradoxical” given the party’s stance on Israel, which it labelled an “apartheid state” in a vote at its 2024 Manchester conference.
Support for the Green party grew 9% among British Jews between August 2024’s general election and June 2025, outstripping the 1% rise in Green support among the wider electorate over the same period, and predating the leadership of Zack Polanski, who identifies as a “proud” Jew but “not a Zionist”.
The report said the increase in Green party support suggested “for a significant minority of Jews, domestic priorities and progressive values outweigh foreign policy concerns”.
Meanwhile, support for Reform rose among British Jews from 3% in August 2024 to 11% in June 2025. However the increase lagged the 14% rise Reform enjoyed with the wider electorate.
“Jews remain less likely [than the wider electorate] to vote for Reform UK [11% vs 28%], but more likely to vote for the Green party [18% vs 7%],” the report said.
Dr Jonathan Boyd, JPR’s executive director, said: “Reform UK is more likely to attract male, older, orthodox, and Zionist Jews; the Greens are more likely to attract younger, unaffiliated and anti-Zionist …[but] it is important to note that it is also part of a larger, more general trend driving the UK population as a whole.”
Nonetheless, the “surge in Jewish support for Reform – a party whose rhetoric on immigration and nationalism would typically be expected to alienate minority communities, including Jews” was described as “striking” by the JPR.
“Significant parts of the Jewish population may gravitate toward voices promising strength and clarity, regardless of ideological baggage” when mainstream parties were perceived as “weak or hostile”, it added.
The report said: “For the first time in recent British Jewish history, support for the Labour and Conservative parties combined has fallen below 60%.
“Given that this is reflected in wider society too, it is not just a statistical anomaly – it may signal a structural shift in Jewish political identity.
skip past newsletter promotion
Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it matters
Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
after newsletter promotion
“Three forces appear to be driving this fragmentation: the war in Gaza and its polarising effect on Jewish attitudes; rising antisemitism, culminating in the Heaton Park Synagogue terrorist attack; and a broader collapse of trust in mainstream parties.
“Together, these factors are pushing Jews toward parties that offer clarity – whether through populism or radical progressivism.
“If recent developments persist … British Jews are likely to become more politically polarised, prompting further internal community tensions.”
The JPR, which tracks demographic trends, surveyed 11,000 British Jews for the report, titled The end of two-party politics? Emerging changes in the political preferences of British Jews.
It found that in 2024, Jewish voters were more likely than the general population to vote for the two main parties, with 44% backing Labour, compared with 34% of the electorate as a whole, and 32% voting for Conservative, compared with 24% of the wider electorate.
By June, support for Labour had slumped by 13% among British Jews, compared with a 9% decline with the wider electorate, while Conservative support among British Jews fell by 4%, matching the wider electorate. “Low and stable” support for the Lib Dems has moved from 8% to 9% among British Jews.
