Exclusive polling reveals the public don’t care if you’re a classy worker – or working class

New data has shown that, despite the emphasis on politicians’ roots, most voters don’t actually care about the class background of Rishi Sunak or Keir Starmer. Andrew Grice explains what that could mean for the parties’ election strategies

Only 11 per cent of people know Starmer’s father was a toolmaker, while 18 per cent know Sunak’s father was a family doctor (Conservative Party/PA)

It has become a standing joke at Westminster. Keir Starmer bangs on about being “the son of a toolmaker”, while Rishi Sunak constantly reminds us that his father was a GP and his mother ran a pharmacy. The rolling of eyes in the Westminster village won’t stop them from repeating their favourite lines many times before the election.

Yet a revealing opinion poll shared with me by More in Common shows that their declarations have sailed over the heads of voters. Only 11 per cent of people know Starmer’s father was a toolmaker, while 18 per cent know Sunak’s father was a family doctor.

(More in Common, 2024)