Britons are divided in how they perceive Labour’s stance, while tending to see the Greens and Your Party as anti-Israel
Britons tend to see the Conservatives and Reform UK as pro-Israel and the Greens and Your Party as anti-Israel
- The public are divided on Labour’s stance, with roughly even numbers seeing them as anti-Israel (25%) and pro-Israel (22%)
- Perception of Labour’s stance negatively correlates with people’s own stance, with pro-Israel Britons tending to see the party as anti-Israel, and vice versa
- The British public are more likely to describe themselves as anti-Israel (34%) than pro-Israel (14%)
- 2024 Green voters are the most likely to describe themselves as anti-Israel (60%), while 2024 Reform voters are the most likely to say they are pro-Israel, at 39%
A view that Labour are too pro-Israel was key to their losses to the so-called ‘Gaza independents’ at the last election and has played an outsized role in Labour’s losses to the Greens since.
On the other hand, the Conservatives have accused Labour of damaging the UK’s relationship with Israel and, earlier this year, the Israeli government themselves banned two Labour MPs from entering the country, accusing them of planning to “spread anti-Israel hate”. But how do the public see the parties’ stances on the middle eastern nation?
Do Britons describe themselves as pro-Israel or anti-Israel?
Public attitudes to Israel are less one-sided than opinion on Russia. One in three Britons (34%) describe themselves as typically anti-Israel, outnumbering the one in seven (14%) who identify as pro-Israel. A further 36% do not align themselves with either view, while 16% are unsure how they’d describe their position.
Reform UK voters are the most likely to see themselves as pro-Israel, with 39% doing so, while a similar 38% say they are neither pro- nor anti-Israel. Just 13% consider themselves as against the middle eastern state.
By contrast, 60% of Green voters describe themselves as anti-Israel, with 43-44% of Lib Dem and Labour voters doing the same. Only between 4-6% of voters for any of these three parties say they are pro-Israel, while 35-36% of Labour and Lib Dem voters, and 23% of Green voters, describe themselves as holding a neutral opinion on Israel.
Conservative voters are the most divided, with 27% identifying themselves as pro-Israel and 20% as anti-Israel, alongside a greater 40% who would not describe themselves as taking a side on the question.
Among the 12% of Britons who are currently willing to consider voting for Your Party, the new party associated with Jeremy Corbyn, 70% would describe themselves as anti-Israel. This is also true of 59% of those currently open to voting for the Greens, including 51% of those who are open to the Greens but not Your Party.
What do Britons see as the parties’ positions on Israel?
The Conservatives are the party that Britons are most likely to see as pro-Israel, with 39% identifying this as the party’s position, relative to just 6% seeing them as an anti-Israel party. Reform UK are also more likely to be seen as pro-Israel (31%) than anti-Israel (7%). It is worth noting, however, that a significant proportion of Britons (38-52%) are unsure of the positions of any given party.
At the other end of the scale is the freshly launched Your Party, which 41% of Britons see as anti-Israel, compared to 6% perceiving it to be pro-Israel, and the Greens, who are viewed as anti-Israel by 33% and pro-Israel by 3%.
More Britons see the Liberal Democrats as anti-Israel (22%) than pro-Israel (8%), with 18% seeing them as neither pro- nor anti- the country.
Labour’s position is the one the public are most divided on, with 25% seeing the party as being pro-Israel, 22% seeing them as anti-Israel, and 16% believing they do not lean in either direction.
Perception of Labour’s position varies significantly between voters, which is far less the case for other parties. Reform UK and Conservative voters, the most likely to be pro-Israel, are more likely to see Labour as anti-Israel (36-48%) than pro-Israel (17-18%).
By contrast, Green voters, who are more likely to be anti-Israel, are three times more likely to perceive Labour as being pro-Israel (46%) than anti-Israel (15%).
Labour and Lib Dem voters are also more likely to see Labour as sympathetic to Israel (26-31%) than opposed to it (11-15%), though with the highest proportions seeing the party as being neither pro- nor anti- (23-24%).
This negative correlation can be seen even more clearly with people’s own position.
Those who describe themselves as anti-Israel are roughly three times more likely to see Labour as a pro-Israel party (47%) than an anti-Israel one (15%). By contrast, 63% of those who identify as pro-Israel believe Labour’s position is anti-Israel, roughly four times the 15% who feel Labour shares their view.
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