Last week, there was a political earthquake in Gorton and Denton. The seismic by‑election confirmed the shift seen in polling is real and is being borne out at the ballot box. Labour and the Conservatives, two parties that have formed every UK government for over 100 years, mustered just 27% of the vote between them. Voters instead overwhelmingly backed parties seen as outsiders and challengers of the status quo.
After more than a decade of austerity, rising costs, and declining public services, the message is clear: people want change that improves their lives. And for many a wealth tax is part of this change.
Labour won the 2024 election on a manifesto titled “Change.” But when we look around us, it’s difficult to see that anything has. Life has not become easier, the rot and decline of an economy run in the interests of the super‑rich and megacorporations has not been tackled, and as a result millions feel unheard. A huge part of this status‑quo spiral— as we highlighted last week— is that MPs and political parties are deeply dependent on, and acting in the interests of, big donors. So thank you for taking action last week to demand better (keep reading to hear about the victory we’ve already scored!)
A line in the sand
This by‑election has drawn a line in the sand. On one side is a political system built to protect the 0.01%, the super‑rich, and the biggest corporations. On the other side are millions of people who work hard, try their best, and still struggle to keep up. People who see their taxes, bills, and rent rise while nothing around them improves, and who are right to ask where their money is going.
All of our money has been flowing into the pockets of those already at the top, those protected by a tax system designed to shield extreme wealth and shift the burden onto everyone else.
And when people start asking questions, the powerful — as we saw with Jim Ratcliffe — reach for the same old tactic: sowing division, scapegoating migrants, and stoking fear. It’s a distraction from the reality that ordinary people are footing the bill while the wealthiest benefit most.
The by-election result is revealing. The Green Party, unequivocally calling for a wealth tax, surged to 40% on a message of improving lives, increasing fairness, and taxing the super‑rich. Voters are clearly hungry for policies that make the wealthiest pay their share.
Polling shows 78% of the public back a wealth tax, that includes 61% of Reform voters, along with 81% of Liberal Democrat voters, 63% of Conservative voters, and 85% of Green voters, 88% of Labour voters (and 58% of Labour MPs!). So why is there only a single UK‑wide party, with just 0.6% of seats in the Commons, that has put the policy in their manifesto? Because big‑money politics and lobbying by the super‑rich have kept it off the agenda of the parties that form governments.
Follow the money?
The funding picture makes the by‑election result even more striking. In 2025, Reform UK pulled in £18.6 million in large donations, the Conservatives £14.3 million, Labour £9.15 million, while the Greens received just £326,046. The result is a reminder to the institutional parties that their jobs ultimately depend on voters, not donors. And voters in every community are rejecting a politics of deference to the super‑rich.
They’re calling for a fairer system, where the wealthiest individuals and the biggest corporations finally pay their share so we can invest in the things that make life better for everyone: affordable homes, childcare that doesn’t break the bank, energy bills that don’t cause panic, and a weekly food shop that doesn’t require sacrifice. We all deserve good lives with hope for the future. But make no mistake, big money is still shaping our politics and we need to end that.
More than 526 of 650 MPs have already been contacted through our open action already, each receiving an average of three emails. And one of our core demands, restoring the independence of the Electoral Commission, so ministers will no longer be able to influence the elections watchdog has already been met.
Our friends at Transparency International have been fighting for this for a while, and whilst we can’t claim full credit, this is a major win for the TJUKs People’s Lobby, who have leant our collective voice to this crucial issue. It proves that when we work together, we can achieve big things. Because we know how politics shift: applying pressure to MPs and raising our voice together at the right moment can tip the scale. So thanks again for raising your voice. And we’re not stopping there.
As part of the Together Alliance, we’re marching in London on 28 March to show that hope is more powerful than fear, and to say enough is enough to the division of the far‑right and extremist grifters like Stephen Yaxley Lennon (AKA Tommy Robinson). You can find all the details at togetheralliance.org.uk. If you’re able to join us please do, your presence will matter.
We must stop billionaires and big businesses buying our democracy, and far-right actors sowing division.