A survey has found that certain Labour policies under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership have major support among the British public; and maybe even from Theresa May’s government.
BMG Research carried out the survey for The Independent to test the support for some of Labour’s policy ideas.
The survey found some of Corbyn’s most popular policies include:
- Capping “fat cat” salaries. That is, capping bosses’ pay in relation to the pay received by the lowest-paid worker in the same company. This received backing from 69% of the sample.
- Scrapping student tuition fees. This received backing from 58% of the sample.
- The Robin Hood Tax. This would be a roughly 0.05% tax on financial transactions including those involving stocks, bonds, foreign currency and derivatives. This received backing from 45% of the sample.
Mounting pressure
The Independent also noted that these policies have put pressure on the Conservatives to amend their own policies; although the party has not executed them particularly well.
For instance, May’s initial plans to force companies to disclose the ratio between top salaries and workers’ salaries were watered down by her government.
Chancellor Philip Hammond, meanwhile, is reportedly considering cutting university tuition fees by around £1,750 per year.
Still ahead
But Corbyn still has some work to do. The survey found there was generally less support for Corbyn being able to change internal party rules just because of his success at the polls in June. And only 33% of the respondents to the BMG survey saw the Labour Party as a ‘government in waiting’.
Despite this, the overwhelmingly positive survey in The Independent is supported by other polls. The latest YouGov poll, for instance, found that 42% of respondents would back Labour in an election, compared to 41% who would back the Tories.
Support for Labour’s manifesto during the 2017 election period was notable. And it seems that support hasn’t gone away. In fact, even the Tories are trying to take a leaf out of the Labour leader’s book.
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