“Labour was formed to work for a more egalitarian society, but the monarchy epitomises a society in which titles, class and hereditary privilege are important.”
Ken Ritchtie, Labour for a Republic, writes on the new polling data that shows 47% of those who voted Labour in 2019 want an elected head of state and only 29% want to keep the monarchy.
Before 1990, there were few polls on the monarchy – most regarded the institution as fixed as Windsor Castle. Until about 5 years ago, support for the monarchy remained between 70 to 80% while support for an elected head of state rarely passed 20%. Although republicanism gained ground in the years that led to the late queen’s death and the coronation of a new king, a comfortable majority seemed to want the monarchy to continue.
In January of this year, however, a Savanta poll found support for the monarchy had dropped below 50% for the first time. Savanta’s 48% might have been regarded as a statistical outlier but, a few days later, YouGov found only 45%, with 31% favouring an elected head of state. It is the detail of the YouGov poll, however, that gives Labour things to think about.
No previous poll had ever shown such an emphatic preference for republicanism amongst Labour voters: excluding those who had no opinion, 62% wanted an elected head of state (for the Conservatives it was only 19%). It was known that the monarchy was not popular amongst young voters, but YouGov found a republican majority in people up to 49, and these are the age groups in which Labour’s support is strongest. Similarly, most who voted ‘remain’ were found to favour republicanism while Brexiteers wanted the monarchy by a margin of 4:1.
The correlation between republican views and support for Labour should not surprise us. Keir Hardie and others who created the Labour Party were staunch republicans and there has been a streak of republicanism in the Party throughout its existence. Labour was formed to work for a more egalitarian society, but the monarchy epitomises a society in which titles, class and hereditary privilege are important. Republicanism and socialism are therefore interlinked.
None of this means, of course, that Labour is about to challenge the monarchy, and few of Labour’s republicans would argue that it should. The polls give us the views of those who voted Labour in 2019, but our focus must be on winning back the votes of those didn’t vote for us in that election. In London, where Labour is strong, and in Scotland where Labour is having a revival, there are republican majorities, but elsewhere, and particularly in Brexit-supporting areas, the arguments for replacing the monarchy need to gain more ground.
Nevertheless, Labour must not ignore the changing mood. It must recognise that the case against the monarchy is not as much about people and personalities as about the nature of our society; it must recognise the need for a national debate on our constitution and be prepared to lead it; and, in their interactions with the monarchy, Labour leaders must not abandon their principles and critical faculties.
A time will come when there will be a popular demand for republicanism and, when it does, Labour must be seen on the right side of history. Kenneth Morgan, the Labour historian, has described republicanism in Labour as a dog that didn’t bark. In the coming years, however, we can expect it to at least growl.
- Ken Ritchie is a former Labour councillor and candidate. He is Secretary of Labour for a Republic and author of ‘Labour and Republicanism: Making Citizens Sovereign’.
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