news Tory support collapses in seaside towns as Sunak warned of Labor ‘red wave’

Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politicsGet our free Inside Politics emailStrong support for the Conservatives in

seaside towns has collapsed, new research has found, as Rishi Sunak was warned of a “red wave” on the coast.A new study by YouGov and the Fabian Society revealed a major slump

in Tory support since 51 per cent of voters in “sea wall” seats backed Boris Johnson's party in 2019.Support for Rishi Sunak's party is now only on 32 per cent – ​​a

19-point fall – with Labor now ahead in seaside seats on 38 per cent.“The tide has turned in the Tory-dominated sea wall,” said The Fabian Society's Ben Cooper – who said

Sir Keir Starmer should be aiming to make sure “a red wave becomes a tsunami” at the general election.Researchers looked at a group of 108 coastal constituencies in England and

Wales, with deprivation often higher than the national average and many voters saying they felt “left behind” by Westminster.Despite Mr Johnson's success in capitalizing on the

resentment, a clear majority of voters in coastal towns now believe the Tory party “does not understand people in their local area nor share their values”, according to Mr

Cooper.The senior researcher said Labor now has a 22-point lead in 54 especially important seaside – 24 seats which they must hold and 30 identified as winnable marginals.

“Labour is now on the path towards a broad national mandate at the next election. Coastal towns are often overlooked, but they will be a key part of Labour's election-winning

coalition,” he said.Warning against complacency, Mr Cooper added: “Labour still has to work hard to secure the votes of key coastal towns at the next election.”The

demographics of sea wall constituencies still pose a major challenge to Labour. They have a larger proportion of voters over 55 and non-graduates – voters who have moved away

from the party in recent elections.The Fabians said the party should appeal to financial security, stability and family to appeal to voters in the seaside constituencies, many of

which saw a large majority to leave the EU during the Brexit referendum. Many people in coatal towns told pollsters that their area is now worse off on the affordability of housing

and opportunities for young people, as well as healthcare and access to public transport.“Labour needs a unifying, 'one nation' platform and must address specific concerns in

coastal towns,” said Mr Cooper. “The good news is, it can do that without losing ground in other marginal seats across the country.”The findings comes as major study by