BAME support for Corbyn much higher than overall electorate

Labour is leading Conservatives by 25 points, according to an electoral poll from Opinium

PICTURED: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn

BLACK, ASIAN and ethnic minority (BAME) voters are backing Jeremy Corbyn in higher numbers than the overall electorate, according to an electoral poll by Opinium.

Labour is leading the Conservatives by 25 points among BAME voters, with more than 52% imagining Corbyn in Downing Street.

Opinium surveyed BAME voters nationwide and found differing approval ratings from those in the electorate at large.

49% of BAME voters said they intended to vote Labour compared to 24% for Conservatives. 

In addition, Corbyn had a +8% rating when ethnic minority voters asked about his handling of his current job compared to Johnson who had -22% rating.

The figures have been revealed as the two main parties push to win over the BAME vote ahead of the election on December 12.

Last week, Corbyn launched the Labour’s first race and faith manifesto, with policies including a race equality unit at the Treasury, reduced charges for Home Office documents and tests and to ensure the historical injustices of colonialism and the role of the British Empire is properly integrated into the National Curriculum and teach black history.

Meanwhile, the Conservatives included some policies in an attempt to woo ethnic minorities. They included a pledge to invest £90m into the Youth Futures Foundation to improve employment outcomes for young people and a pledge to support a memorial recognising the contribution of the Windrush Generation.

Speaking to The Guardian, Sunder Katwala, the director of the British Future think tank, said the BAME vote gets more important at every election because the population is becoming increasingly diverse. However, he believes the campaign is more focused on the predominantly white communities.

“Leave voting towns are, in the main, a little older and whiter. We can expect that the battlegrounds will be slightly less diverse seats,” he said.

“When the Tories have won, they have concentrated on less diverse areas and they can do that again. But in the long term, their strategy will have to change to find a way of winning over a more diverse and fractured BAME community,” he said.

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