*Green Party leader Zack Polanski attends a campaign event ahead of the Gorton and Denton by-election in February 2026 in Denton, England. Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images*

In an astonishing poll out on Tuesday, the UK’s Green Party overtook Keir Starmer’s Labour Party, reflecting a seismic shift in UK politics after years of the centrist establishment parties leading the pack.

The hard-right Reform UK still leads the weekly YouGov voting intention poll at 23%, down one point from last week, while the Greens jumped four points to 21% – five points ahead of Labour, as well as the Conservatives, which are both down two points at 16%.

What’s particularly stunning is that the Green Party is now the most popular party in the UK for all age groups under 50, according to the poll.

About a quarter of those surveyed who backed Labour in 2024 said they would now support the Greens in a general election, while roughly the same percentage of 2024 Conservative voters say they would back Reform UK.

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Tuesday’s results are a significant turnaround from UK political norms, as the two centrist parties, Labour and Conservative, typically compete for first place in the polls while the rest lag behind.

The results come just days after the Greens won a historic victory in the Gorton and Denton parliamentary by-election in a blow to Starmer’s Labour Party, which has held the seat for years.

Green Party candidate Hannah Spencer and Green Party leader Zack Polanski celebrate at an election rally in Manchester, England, after Spencer won the by-election on Feb. 26, 2026. Photo by Ryan Jenkinson/Getty Images

As Owen Jones, a UK political columnist and Zeteo contributor, put it on social media: the recent election is convincing Labour voters that the Green Party is not “a wasted vote.”

The results also come as the UK government’s approval rating, with Labour in charge, hits just 12%, as Starmer faces scrutiny over the recent arrest and investigation into Peter Mandelson, his former ambassador to the US, who is accused of leaking sensitive information to child rapist Jeffrey Epstein.

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