Labour’s demise and UKIP’s rise: what factors can explain the Labour Party’s recent decline in support, while support for UKIP is on the rise?

Abstract

The relationship between the Labour Party and the working class
electorate may have once represented a coalition of strength,
however, in recent years, Labour appears to be losing working
class support. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom Independence
Party (UKIP) is gaining support, both in terms of membership
and at an electoral level. While polls have highlighted Labour’s
recent loss in support, and UKIP’s rise in support, there has been
little research that links the two phenomenon together. This
paper will highlight that it has been Labour’s failing on key
issues that has led people, mostly from the working class
electorate, to look to new forms of political representation; the
chief beneficiary being UKIP. While current research offers
some insight on the subject, it appears too dependent on
assumptions. This is why it is imperative that empirical evidence
is presented, as a means of challenging current conceptions of
why Labour is losing support, while support for UKIP is on the
rise.