By Ali Lyon
Londoners are the most politically engaged people in the country, with over two thirds believing they are well-informed about national politics and a tenth wanting to become an MP, a poll has found.
Some 67 per cent of people in the capital think they are tuned in to national political developments, according to the survey of over 4,000 adults across the UK – the highest of any region in the country.
This compared to just just 55 per cent of voters in the North East and 53 per cent in the East Midlands.
Londoners were also among the most likely to discuss politics with their friends and family, with nearly half, or 49 per cent, saying they regularly put the world to rights with their nearest and dearest.
Such regular discussions have left nine per cent of the city’s locals with aspirations to become an MP and 11 per cent tempted by the prospect of running for local office.
But talking about politics doesn’t mean they are any more enamoured by the main candidates to be the UK’s next Prime Minister.
The vast majority of Londoners (71 per cent) felt Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives don’t understand their local political interests.
Keir Starmer doesn’t fair much better, with over 53 per cent feeling the same about the Labour leader.
Disillusions with the current crop of politicians has led four-in-ten Londoners to believe they could do a better job than most of their representatives in Westminster, compared to just 32 per cent of the East Midlands.
Nationally, men were revealed to be over three times more likely than women to aspire to be an MP (10 per cent vs three per cent). They were also were twice as likely to aspire to a role in local politics.
John Pienaar, a presenter at Times Radio, which commissioned the study, said: “This research shows people are interested and aware of what’s happening in politics, but feel politicians don’t understand what matters to them locally.”
