The public are calling for a progressive alternative – Labour must seize the moment

For much of its period in office, this Tory-led Government has stood accused of being out of touch with the British people.

When I made my maiden speech in the House of Commons on 25 May 2010, I implored the Government to learn the lessons of history.  I said the power of the state can be a force for good, but my words fell on deaf ears.

Now, four-and-a-half-years after my parliamentary debut, it isn’t just opposition politicians like me who are calling for a progressive alternative – the public are calling for it too.

A range of opinion polls over the last couple of years have indicated that the public’s verdict on this Government’s policies has resulted in public opinion moving to the left.

Take the issue of income tax.  One of the Coalition’s most shameless moments, was when struggling families saw their tax credits slashed, on the same day that people earning over £150,000 were handed a 10 per cent tax cut. That decision defined this Government.  Tory MPs, aided and abetted by Liberal Democrats, reverted to a quintessentially Conservative Party doctrine of rewarding the rich, at the expense of everyone else. Labour has pledged to reinstate the 50p tax rate on incomes above £150,000, but a YouGov poll shows a majority would go even further, introducing it at £100,000 instead.  Moreover, 56% of the population would welcome a 75% tax rate on annual salaries above £1m.

At the other end of the earnings scale, a poll by Survation [Table 8] shows six in 10 people want the minimum wage increased to the Living Wage rate of £7.65 outside London.

On zero hours contracts too, the public is longing for change.  Labour plans to give employees the right to demand fixed-hours contracts after working for the same employer for six months.  But this Government won’t  contemplate such a move, even though YouGov shows 56% want a complete ban on these contracts, compared to just 25% against.

As for private rented housing, YouGov says 45% want the state to cap private sector rents, compared to 43% against.

In education, an ICM poll also shows that most people oppose academies, preferring local councils to be accountable for schools instead.

There are many other areas too where the public seems to have moved to the left.  According to YouGov, an overwhelming majority want to see the energy companies, railways and Royal Mail renationalised.

And more than half support a ‘Robin Hood’ tax on financial transactions.

So do these changes represent a political reawakening, or are they just indicative of a nation that’s had enough of being savaged by four-and-a-half years of Tory policies?

One thing is clear, this is no time for timidity.  The public mood gives Labour an opportunity to offer a reforming progressive manifesto on a par with 1945 – let’s seize the moment.

Chris Williamson is the Labour MP for Derby North