News

The Telegraph

20 September 2025

Phillipson’s VAT raid unravels in an unexpected way

Labour may want to rethink VAT on private school fees, and not just for the obvious reasons such as the schools it has closed down, the teachers it has made redundant and the pupils – often those with special educational needs – displaced by the spiteful policy.

Polling by More In Common has, somewhat hilariously, found that former private school pupils would be more likely to vote Labour at a future general election than those who attended state schools.

The Independent

19 September 2025

Where you went to school may decide how you vote

Where a person went to school may be a deciding factor in how they vote at the next election, a new poll has revealed.

Reform UK is now the most popular party among former pupils of state schools, new findings from polling firm More in Common show.

Around a third (32 per cent) of this group would vote for the Nigel Farage-led party tomorrow if an election were called, reflecting its overall lead in nationwide polls.

The Telegraph

19 September 2025

Labour plummets to new low in polls after Rayner and Mandelson scandals

A separate poll conducted by More in Common between Sept 12 and 15 offered a slightly more hopeful picture for Labour, putting the party on 22 per cent.

However, it was still down by two points on the previous week after the Rayner and Mandelson scandals, with Reform out in front again on 31 per cent.

There was a glimmer of light this week for Sir Keir and Shabana Mahmood, his new Home Secretary, as two migrants were finally deported under the “one in, one out” deal with France.

The Telegraph

18 September 2025

Labour needs private schools – they are its voter base

But I couldn’t help but chuckle yesterday at the latest data from More in Common. Whilst most of the pollsters had a shocker at last year’s election, Luke Tryl and his team were mostly on the money. They continue to provide fascinating breakdowns of their regular headline voting intention figures. Which party is most popular with Aperol Spritz drinkers? Who is a fan of fish and chips most likely to vote for versus a pizza aficionado? I’ve yet to find a better way of making psephology fun.

This time, it was voting intention by school type: state, state selective (grammar schools, in old money) and private. The headline figures put Reform on 32 per cent, Labour on 21 per cent, and the Tories on 18 per cent. For state schools, it was essentially the same: 33, 20, and 17 respectively.

Politico

16 September 2025

Trump lands in Britain’s ‘autumn of discontent’

As the U.S. president touches down in the U.K., PM Keir Starmer is under political pressure and is facing street protests.

Luke Tryl, executive director of the More in Common think tank, which regularly tracks public sentiment, said: “There is no doubt that many Britons are deeply disillusioned with the state of the country today, and few people are happy with the trajectory the U.K. is on.

“The simple truth is life feels too hard, and politicians seem unresponsive to the public mood or even not in control at all.”