Tories target ‘Waitrose woman’ as Reform slips in poll
Kemi Badenoch’s party is seeking affluent southern voters while insisting it will not abandon its wider coalition.
The Conservatives are increasingly presenting themselves as a party for prosperous, socially moderate voters who have drifted towards Labour or the Liberal Democrats. The shift comes as a new YouGov poll puts the Conservatives ahead of Reform UK, although the change remains within the poll’s margin of error.
The phrase “Waitrose woman” has emerged in political coverage of the Conservatives’ post-conference strategy. It describes a broadly affluent, often southern voter who may once have supported the Conservatives but is uncomfortable with culture-war politics, Brexit-related arguments or the party’s appeal to former Labour voters in the Red Wall.
The News Agents described Kemi Badenoch’s recent message as particularly southern and prosperous, with potential appeal to Liberal Democrat voters and some former Remain supporters. A Conservative parliamentary aide interviewed by the programme said he did not recognise “Waitrose woman” as an official party label and stressed that the Conservatives wanted to appeal across the country.
The change in emphasis follows a YouGov poll conducted on 11 and 12 October among 2,393 adults. Labour led on 24 per cent, followed by the Conservatives on 23 per cent and Reform on 21 per cent. The Conservatives’ figure was three points higher than in the previous poll, while Reform fell by one point.
The figures offer the Conservatives a useful political moment, but not evidence of a decisive recovery. YouGov has said the movement is within the margin of error. Its wider assessment, published before the conference, found that 28 per cent of voters would consider voting Conservative, while only 14 per cent named the party as their main voting intention.
That earlier research also showed the limits of Badenoch’s progress. Fifty-nine per cent said the Conservatives were not ready to return to government, compared with 20 per cent who thought they were. Opinion of Badenoch herself had improved, but YouGov still recorded more unfavourable than favourable views of her.
Badenoch has rejected an electoral pact with Reform, arguing that the Conservatives must rebuild their own support. Her conference message included a pledge to abolish inheritance tax on family homes, a proposal presented as part of a broader appeal to aspiration and wealth-building. The political calculation is clear: the party needs to recover voters in prosperous southern seats without surrendering its remaining support in former Labour constituencies.
The “Waitrose woman” label is not new. Research on the 2024 general election used it alongside other voter stereotypes, including “Whitby woman” and “Workington man”. What is new is the suggestion that the Conservatives may now be prioritising the first group more visibly, at a time when Reform’s support has weakened but remains a serious challenge on the right.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The Conservatives rose to 23 per cent in a YouGov poll conducted on 11 and 12 October, while Reform UK fell to 21 per cent and Labour stood at 24 per cent.
- The Conservatives have discussed appealing to more prosperous southern voters, although the party has not confirmed “Waitrose woman” as an official label.
- Kemi Badenoch has ruled out an electoral pact with Reform UK.
- YouGov’s earlier research found that more voters would consider the Conservatives than currently intended to vote for them.
Left
Arguments The left would see the shift towards affluent southern voters as an attempt to protect wealth and inheritance while leaving public services, housing and inequality less central. It would argue that voters in former Labour areas should not be treated as expendable electoral arithmetic.
Values Equality, strong public services and reducing economic inequality.
Consequences The left would warn that a sharper focus on affluent voters could widen the distance between the Conservatives and working-class communities while leaving Labour and Reform to compete for them.
Centre
Arguments The centre would view the strategy as a normal attempt to rebuild a broad electoral coalition after a major defeat. It would support appealing to moderate voters but insist that tax promises are costed, credible and matched by competent government.
Values Electoral breadth, fiscal responsibility and institutional competence.
Consequences The main risk would be that the Conservatives gain attention without converting it into durable trust, especially if voters continue to see the party as unready for government.
Right
Arguments The right would argue that the Conservatives must recover economically liberal voters without copying Reform or entering a pact that blurs their identity. Lower taxes, aspiration and a clear national outlook are presented as stronger foundations than tactical cooperation.
Values Personal responsibility, lower taxation, national sovereignty and party competition.
Consequences The right would fear that chasing socially moderate voters could alienate the party’s existing base, while refusing cooperation could split the right and help Labour.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
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The article is supported by current polling, public political discussion and background research. It distinguishes reported strategy from formal party policy and notes the poll’s uncertainty.
- confirmed A YouGov poll conducted on 11 and 12 October put Labour on 24 per cent, the Conservatives on 23 per cent and Reform UK on 21 per cent. — The Independent reported these figures and the fieldwork dates. source
- confirmed YouGov previously recorded 28 per cent willing to consider voting Conservative and 14 per cent naming the party as their main voting intention. — YouGov published both figures in its 2 October assessment. source
- confirmed Fifty-nine per cent said the Conservatives were not ready to return to government, while 20 per cent said they were ready. — The figures appear in YouGov’s published findings. source
- confirmed Kemi Badenoch has rejected an electoral pact with Reform UK. — Associated Press reported Badenoch’s rejection of an alliance at the Conservative conference. source
- confirmed The term “Waitrose woman” was used in analysis of voter groups around the 2024 general election. — The Political Quarterly article discusses the term alongside other voter labels. source
Editor's note
The voter strategy is reported and discussed publicly, but “Waitrose woman” is not confirmed as a formal Conservative Party term. The latest poll shows a narrow change and remains within the margin of error.Sources
- Is talk of rejoining the EU “for the birds?” — The News Agents
- How do Britons see the Conservatives and Kemi Badenoch? — YouGov
- Reform falls to third place in the polls as Tories feel Badenoch bounce — The Independent
- UK Conservative leader says the party is reviving and rules out a pact with Farage’s Reform UK — Associated Press
- ‘Whitby Woman’, ‘Waitrose Woman’: Gender and Voting Behaviour at the 2024 UK General Election — The Political Quarterly
More on this in other media
- BBC News — „conservatives reform uk”
- The Guardian — „conservatives reform uk”
- Sky News — „conservatives reform uk”