Labour members would back breaking tax pledges to fund public services – poll

Three-quarters of Labour members would support the government breaking its manifesto commitments on tax if it helped fund greater investment in public services, LabourList can reveal.

In an exclusive poll of Labour members, conducted by Survation, 76% said they would back a rise in national insurance, income tax or VAT in order to put more money into public services, with 20% opposed.

While 79% of those who backed Keir Starmer in the 2020 leadership contest would support the government breaking its promise not to raise those three taxes, support was weaker among those who backed Rebecca Long-Bailey at 69%.

The poll also found that seven in ten of members (72%) believed that the government had upheld its manifesto commitment on tax, with 20% believing the government had broken its promise not to raise national insurance, income tax or VAT on working people.

READ MORE: ‘Rachel Reeves should not be deterred from Budget wealth taxes’

It comes amid speculation about what measures Chancellor Rachel Reeves will take to plug a fiscal black hole estimated to be in the region of £20bn.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned Reeves to avoid “directionless tinkering and half-baked fixes” when trying to raise more money to meet her fiscal rules.

Among the measures being speculated include charging national insurance on the rental income of landlords, increases in taxes on the gambling industry and reform to capital gains tax.

It has been reported that Reeves will seek to blame Brexit for the further increases to tax, with The Times suggesting the Chancellor and the Prime Minister will attack Nigel Farage on the issue.

Subscribe here to our daily newsletter roundup of Labour news, analysis and comment– and follow us on Bluesky, WhatsApp, X and Facebook.

Damian Lyons Lowe, chief executive of Survation, said: “These findings underline that Labour members’ main priority is maintaining and improving public services, even if that means rethinking prior pledges on tax.

“There’s clear recognition among the membership of the fiscal pressures facing the government, and a willingness to accept difficult choices if they support investment in vital services.”

The poll is the latest in a series of regular polls LabourList is publishing in partnership with leading pollsters Survation, a member of the British Polling Council and a Market Research Society Partner.

Survation surveyed 1,254 readers of LabourList, the leading dedicated newsletter and news and comment website for Labour supporters, who also said they were Labour Party members between September 23 and 25.

Data was weighted to the profile of party members by age, sex, region and 2020 Labour leadership vote, targets for which were derived from the British Election Study and the results of the 2020 leadership election.

Share your thoughts. Contribute on this story or tell your own by writing to our Editor. The best letters every week will be published on the site. Find out how to get your letter published.

• • SHARE: If you have anything to share that we should be looking into or publishing about this story – or any other topic involving Labour– contact us (strictly anonymously if you wish) at [email protected].
  • SUBSCRIBE: Sign up to LabourList’s morning email here for the best briefing on everything Labour, every weekday morning.
  • DONATE: If you value our work, please chip in a few pounds a week and become one of our supporters, helping sustain and expand our coverage.
  • PARTNER: If you or your organisation might be interested in partnering with us on sponsored events or projects, email [email protected].
  • ADVERTISE: If your organisation would like to advertise or run sponsored pieces on LabourList‘s daily newsletter or website, contact our exclusive ad partners Total Politics at [email protected].