Four in 10 voters see Britain as being in decline, poll says

The most common word the public associate with Britain is "declining", a damning new poll has revealed.

- ARCHIE MITCHELL

A study by a group of Labour backers reveals that seven in 10 people feel ignored by politicians amid the erosion of public services and the hollowing out of local communities.

And, in the landmark report, the influential group is calling on Sir Keir Starmer to take the fight to Reform UK with a radical programme to rebuild local communities not by seeking to ape Nigel Farage on immigration.

Labour's sister Co-operative Party and the campaign group Hope Not Hate, backed by union Unison, have co-published a report laying bare the despair among voters after more than a decade of communities being eroded and public services being underfunded.

Amid growing disillusionment among voters, the report warns that Britain must choose either "a path of division and extremity, or a path of community power, hope and solidarity".