Labour told: restore high streets or lose election

Labour will be “washed away in a tide of discontent” at the next general election unless it tackles the decline of Britain’s high streets, a study has warned, as a Guardian analysis lays bare the changing face of town centres.

- Michael Goodier Josh Halliday

Research by the University of Southampton found people feel high streets have declined more than any other part of their area over the past decade as well-known chains have collapsed and shoplifting has risen.

Improving shopping precincts was the third most important local issue for voters, behind good healthcare and a reduction in crime, according to polling conducted by YouGov.

Reform UK supporters were more likely than anyone else to say their area had significantly declined, underlining what researchers called a “deep sense of place-based resentment” towards Westminster.

Labour MPs say they are increasingly alarmed by the state of high streets, which for many voters have become symbolic of whether their area is prospering and have been a focus of anger among many business owners over the significant increases to business rates in November's budget.

In response to that anger, a business rates discount for pubs announced on Tuesday came alongside the promise of a "high street strategy", with a set of measures to be announced later this year.

Dan Tomlinson, a Treasury minister, said: "We do understand it's a tough time for other businesses on the high street... consumers have changed their habits, increasingly working from home and shopping online, and these trends continue to make it harder." Those changes are starkly illustrated by Guardian analysis of Ordnance Survey and Landmark Information data, which found there were at least 8,000 fewer retail outlets in 2025 than in 2019, as traditional shopping faltered and new types of businesses moved in to fill the gaps.

Restaurants, vape shops and discount stores are among the winners on Britain's high streets over the past six years, as bookmakers, department stores and clothing shops have continued to disappear.