Sainsbury’s for Tories, Waitrose for... Labour? New poll reveals what your supermarket says about your politics

LocalPolitics
6 Oct 2026 • 12:09 AM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Sainsbury’s for Tories, Waitrose for... Labour? New poll reveals what your supermarket says about your politics

Where a person does their weekly shop is a deeply personal preference. It can reveal a lot about their lifestyle: whether they prefer the classic meal deal, a middle aisle bargain, or iconic caterpillar cakes.

But could your favourite supermarket also reveal how you’re likely to vote? Possibly, according to a new poll.

Researchers from More in Common have revealed the political parties that shoppers at each of Britain’s major supermarkets are most likely to support – with some surprising results.

Labour leads amongst shoppers at half of the supermarkets included, the More in Common polling reveals, reflecting a steady lead in the polls that Andy Burnham has overseen since becoming prime minister.

Shoppers at Tesco, Asda, Waitrose and Aldi are all most likely to be Labour voters, according to the results. This could reveal a broad support base, with Waitrose regularly ranked the most expensive supermarket – and Aldi the least – in Which? comparisons.

But in a surprising twist, there is also marked support for Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain party amongst Aldi shoppers, at 12 points compared to the national average of seven. With Restore also at 21 points, shoppers at the budget retailer may well be Britain’s most divided.

There are two stores where the Conservatives lead: Sainsbury’s and M&S, both also ranking as generally more expensive.

Reform UK, meanwhile, ranks top for shoppers at Lidl and Morrisons.

More broadly, recent polling has generally put Labour ahead over the past few months, as the party begins to record its highest ratings since the 2024 general election.

Reform has dipped to second place, according to an average of results from major pollsters, having been in first place by some margin since March 2025.

The results have sparked rumours that the prime minister could call an early general election to consolidate his position for five more years.

While Mr Burnham has said he wants to “knock dead” these rumours, other party leaders have indicated they are still preparing for the possibility.

The Conservatives have also begun to gain ground in recent months, climbing to an average 20 points compared to Reform’s 23, with pollsters increasingly putting them ahead.

It’s thought that rising support for Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain is also eating into support for Nigel Farage’s party, as it loses voters further to its right.

Speaking at Labour’s conference for the first time as leader last week, Mr Burnham said that the party will seek to change the voting system if it wins the next general election.

It would mark a historic change to British politics if passed, with analysis by The Independent finding that 2024’s general election results would have looked very different under a different voting model.

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