TACKLING poverty and hardship should be the top priority for the next government, a survey of undecided voters in battleground seats suggests.

But the electors believe that politicians are not taking the issue seriously enough, research for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) has found.

“Both the major parties are currently largely silent on this agenda,” say the two authors of the report: the JRF’s head of campaigns, Daisy Sands, and its principal policy adviser, Katie Schmuecker. They write: “Most voters saw very little distinction between Labour and the Conservatives on this agenda, with neither party demonstrating compassion, and some feeling Labour have lost touch with their core values.

“It is clear that, done well, harnessing and addressing the issue of hardship and deep poverty presents the main parties with a major opportunity to build a distinct, emotive and powerful pitch to the electorate, at a time where many feel there is little to distinguish them.

“Tackling the root causes of these horrendous levels of deprivation must unquestionably be an urgent priority for any government. Failure to act will see the continued manifestation of such hardship in record foodbank use and rising homelessness. Knock-on effects such as increased pressure on public services, and longer-term scarring impacts on children, productivity and communities will also store up further problems for the future.”

The JRF commissioned the policy-research group Public First to question, between July and August, focus groups of financially insecure voters in five swing seats: Leigh, in Lancashire, Bolsover, in Derbyshire, Lincoln, Blackpool North, and Cleveleys and Bournemouth West. All the people had voted Conservative in 2019, but are now undecided on whom to support in the election due to be held next year.

Many of them had experienced or witnessed extreme levels of hardship, and worried about the impact on people’s health and communities. Several raised examples of extreme hardship, including going without, or having to rely on family or charity for bare essentials. They had “intensely negative personal impacts, particularly on mental health”, the report says. “People also identified a range of wider knock-on impacts, such as rising crime and a sense of frustration or even anger.”

A belief that politicians themselves were not experiencing the effects of poverty is cited the lack of interest. “Many felt they are too wealthy to understand the practical impacts of hardship and therefore lacked the empathy to deal with it as a political problem. Virtually all politicians were seen as out of touch with reality,” the report said.

“Harnessing this agenda presents an opportunity for the parties to demonstrate they are listening to and in touch with the real issues people are concerned about — currently neither party is seen to own the issue. This presents a big opportunity for one of the parties.”