Exclusive: Poll shows Labour members overwhelmingly back public ownership

Polling shows that Labour members are overwhelmingly in favour of rail, mail, energy and water services being run by the public sector, LabourList can reveal.

An exclusive poll of more than 1,800 LabourList readers who are also party members, conducted by Survation and weighted to reflect the membership, explored their views on public ownership and Labour MPs joining workers on picket lines.

The results of the survey indicate that 94% of Labour Party members think that rail and water services should be run in the public sector. 87% of members said the same for energy, while 85% said Royal Mail should be run in the public sector.

The poll also found that 94% of members think the recent rail strikes are justified. 73% reported that Labour MPs should be joining picket lines with members of a union affiliated to the party, while 62% said the same for unions not affiliated to Labour. The figures for those opposed were 18% and 26% respectively.

Backbench Labour MPs have not been told to stay away from picket lines, but frontbenchers were instructed not to appear alongside workers on strike earlier this year. Keir Starmer has said he will not join members of affiliated union TSSA who will be joining a picket line in Liverpool while Labour hosts its conference in the city.

The Labour leader said this week that running a trade union and trying to become Prime Minister were “different jobs” and he did not want to “lose that focus on getting into power”. Asked if he would join a picket line, he said: “No. I want a Labour government, I want to be a Labour Prime Minister. You can’t sit around the Cabinet table resolving issues and then walk on to a picket line.”

Manuel Cortes, general secretary of the TSSA, has said that he will be standing alongside workers on the picket line in Liverpool and that he would be “encouraging fellow delegates and MPs to do likewise”.Rail union RMT, which is not affiliated to the Labour Party, announced that two further 24-hour strikes will take place in September – one of which will coincide with a walk-out planned by Labour-affiliated union ASLEF. Members of CWU, also affiliated to the party, have been on strike this week as well.

Industrial action is also ongoing by members of UNISON, GMB and Labour’s largest affiliated union Unite over a dispute between the unions and local councils in Scotland. The local authority body COSLA made a fresh offer today in an attempt to avert further strikes taking place.

The strikes come amid the worsening cost-of-living crisis and follow the announcement last month by energy regulater Ofgem that the price cap for gas and electricity bills will rise to £ 3,549 from October 1st. Rachel Reeves called on the Conservatives to “act now” to prevent the rise from taking place.

The Labour Party announced last month that it would freeze gas and electricity prices immediately, keeping the energy price cap at its current level of £1,971 until April – a move it said would save the typical household £1,000.

The party said the proposal could be paid for in part by making changes to the windfall tax, including backdating the tax to include excess profits made since January and closing a loophole allowing tax relief on investment in the North Sea.

45% of members told Survation that the cost-of-living crisis would be the most important issue in deciding how they would vote in an election if one were held tomorrow. 45% of members said Labour is not doing an effective job of holding the government to account on the cost-of-living crisis – 35% said the party is.

Survation surveyed 1,858 LabourList readers, who said they were also members, between August 19th and 23rd 2022 via LabourList’s database. Data were weighted to the profile of party members by age, sex, region and 2020 Labour leadership election vote. LabourList has partnered up with Survation to provide statistical heft to our reader surveys. Full data tables can be viewed here.

The Labour Party has been contacted for comment.