Over half of Labour loyalist voters want the party to put principles first, Ashcroft polling finds

52% of Labour loyalist voters want the Labour party to have the right principles and policies “even if it makes it more difficult for the party to win elections”, according to polling from Lord Ashcroft.

The opinion poll conducted on behalf of the former Conservative deputy chairperson found that there was a divide on this issue among Labour loyalists. Although 52% thought principles were key, 48% of Labour loyalists it most important “to win elections, even if this means making some compromises, because the party has to be in government if it is to achieve anything”.

It also asked Labour defectors, who had switched from voting Labour in 2010 to voting UKIP or Conservative at the last election.   60% of defectors to the Tory party said Labour should to have the right principles and policies “even if it makes it more difficult for the party to win elections”, while 55% of UKIP defectors agreed with this statement.

40% of Tory defectors and 44% of UKIP defectors thought it should be most important for the party “to win elections, even if this means making some compromises, because the party has to be in government if it is to achieve anything

When asked about why defectors why they didn’t vote for the party in 2015. One of the three biggest reasons was Labour leader at the time  Ed Miliband.

57% of all defectors said Ed Miliband was one of the top three reasons that led them to vote for another party (69% of Tory defectors said this and 62% of UKIP defectors). 27% put this as their first mention. 44% of all defectors said that one of the top three reasons they voted for another party was that “they are no longer the party that best represents their interests.

For those who voted Conservative, the second biggest reason refusing to vote Labour was that they were worried the party “would spend and borrow too much” – 63% said this in comparison to 37% of UKIP defectors. Third on their list was that they didn’t think it was a good time to change government – 61% said this in comparison to only 12% of UKIP defectors. Here the Tories’ message “let us finish the job” seems to have been effective with some.

For UKIP defectors the second biggest factor that turned them off  voting Labour was that the party “no longer seem to stand up for people like me” – 59% said this.

They did find agreement between Labour loyalists and UKIP switchers: 83% of Loyalists, and 71% of switchers to UKIP thought “cuts in government spending have gone far enough or too far, and it is time for them to end”. 31% of Tory defectors agreed with this statement. Contrastingly, those voters who had moved to the Conservatives thought the opposite, 69% thought that “further cuts in government spending are needed to reduce Britain’s borrowing and get the economy back on a stable footing”.

In terms of electability,  nearly 44% of  Labour Loyalists thought a Labour party that offered a “radical socialist alternative” could win a general election and would change the country for the better. 28% of all defectors agreed with this, 13% of those who voted Tories thought the same and 35% of those who voted UKIP. Interestingly, 22% of Tory defectors thought a radical socialist Labour party could win the election but would make the country worse.

Only 27% of loyalists thought a radical socialist Labour would “would represent many people and be a force for good, even if it would not win a general election.”

On welfare spending, most Loyalists thought this should be kept at the same level or increased. However,  most defectors, in particular those who had moved to the Conservative party, wanted the system to be more strict so as to reduce costs.