Almost a third of Labour members want the next Labour leader to be a woman, according to a new LabourList poll.

The poll, conducted by Survation, found that 32 percent of Labour members think the party’s next leader should be a woman, compared to 61 percent who said the gender of the next Labour leader does not matter. Some eight percent were unsure.

It comes amid a continuing debate within the party about women in leadership roles.

Party grandee and peer Harriet Harman has suggested that Labour should prevent male candidates from standing in the next leadership contest to ensure the party has its first female leader.

Speaking on Sky’s Electoral Dysfunction podcast, Harman said: “The only way we’ll have a woman leader of the Labour Party next time is if we start a conversation now where we say that men cannot stand for the leadership next time.

Read more at: https://labourlist.org/2026/08/female-labour-leader-poll-survation/