WORKING-CLASS voters could be key to the outcome to the next general election, a new report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation says.

Their votes are “up for grabs” on an unprecedented scale, according to the think tank.

The analysis shows that the majority of the low-income electorate is more politically aware than before, and that economic concerns remain more important than other issues, including Brexit.

The report also found that low-income people are now more likely to vote and have become less “tribally loyal” to a party.

Low-income voter turnout increased by 7 per cent between 2015 and 2017.

In 2017, Labour under Jeremy Corbyn enjoyed its greatest level of support among low-income voters since Tony Blair, while support for the Conservatives among low-income voters was at its highest since Margaret Thatcher, according to the report.

Both parties increased their share of the vote among this group relative to 2015, but Labour saw its share grow by 13 per cent compared with the Tories’ 5 per cent, the report adds.

The think tank said that the surge in low-income electoral participation shows that “left-right” divides are “once again important.”

Low-income voters lean to the left on economic issues but often lean rightwards on issues such as law and order, migration and Brexit, the report adds.

The research, by Professor Matthew Goodwin at the University of Kent and Professor Oliver Heath at Royal Holloway, University of London, draws on data from the British Election Study.

Prof Goodwin said: “Labour was more successful in low-income Britain because they tapped into the left-wing economic views of low-income voters.

“They can build on this success, but they need to be mindful about low-income voters’ attitudes towards crime and law and order, as well as Europe, and think far more seriously about how they can bolster living standards.”