Labour’s membership figures plummeted last year under Keir Starmer
With the sharp fall in numbers, the Green Party may be close to overtaking Labour’s membership figures
The Labour Party lost more than a fifth of its members last year, as support for Keir Starmer’s government took a hit with MPs rebelling against welfare cuts and a series of policy U-turns.
According to figures published by the Electoral Commission yesterday, the party’s membership figures dropped by 20% last year, to their lowest level since 2014.
Labour recorded 333,235 members at the end of 2024, and 264,754 in December 2025.
The sharp fall could bring the Green Party within reach of overtaking Labour’s membership numbers. In May, the Greens said their membership had reached 230,000.
A spokesperson for the Greens said its membership figures had “quadrupled” in the last year since Zack Polanski became leader. The party had 186,441 members at the end of December last year.
Mainstream, the centre-left group within Labour, which is backed by Andy Burnham, said that the figures were “horrifying” but that the situation could be turned around.
In a post on X, the group said: “The decline in Labour’s membership is horrifying – but it needn’t be terminal.
“By building a culture and pioneering new practices to realise pluralism, internal democracy and participation, we can rebuild our movement.
“Labour’s new leadership must make this a priority. To transform the country, we must transform Labour.”
Veteran MP Diane Abbott, who has recently been readmitted to the Labour party after a year-long suspension under Starmer, reacted to the figures, arguing that they show Starmer and his former chief of staff abandoned “genuine Labour values”.
Abbott wrote: “Starmer and McSweeney seemed to loathe genuine Labour values and many Labour members. It turns out the feeling was mutual.”
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “The Labour Party is proud to be powered by our dedicated Party members and supporters who fight day after day for Labour victories to change the country for the better.
“With Andy Burnham’s leadership, Labour is bringing back hope. Since he became Prime Minister less than three weeks ago, he’s delivered immediate action to cut bills, move power out of Westminster into every postcode in Britain, and made clear that his government will change politics so it is firmly focused on problem solving, not point scoring.”
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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