When you’re in a hole, stop digging. These words of wisdom are yet to be heeded by the bright young things in Downing Street, who appear to be ploughing on manfully with plans to slap inheritance tax on family farms. Yet despite all the state-sponsored spinning, the public seems to be increasingly turning against Labour on this issue.
According to a poll conducted by Freshwater Strategy for The Spectator, a majority – 53 per cent – of voters oppose Labour’s change to inheritance tax, with barely a quarter (27 per cent) backing the move. One in three Brits (36 per cent) say the announcement makes them more likely to vote for another party, with just 15 per cent claiming it would make them ‘more’ likely to vote Labour. The poll of 1,011 UK adults was conducted between 28 and 29 November.
More than two-thirds of UK citizens (68 per cent) moreover believe that the National Farmers’ Union is the ‘most credible source of information’ on the issue. Embarrassingly for the Chancellor, voters also claim Jeremy Clarkson is a more informed source than Rachel Reeves by some margin – 47 per cent to 29 per cent. Guess that Amazon Prime series paid off…
And speaking of ‘big farmer’, it seems Brits also do not agree with the Prime Minister when it comes to private health. Before the election, Keir Starmer claimed that he would not use private healthcare if a loved-one was on a long waiting list for surgery. But the public is pragmatic when it comes to NHS private sector involvement, according to The Spectator’s poll.
Voters are marginally more sympathetic than not – 39 per cent in favour, 36 per cent against – of increased private sector involvement in the NHS in the abstract. Yet when pressed, they strongly support it if it means lower wait times for appointments – with 63 per cent in favour and 20 per cent against – or increased availability and more booking times – 62 per in support and 22 per opposed.
Something for Wes Streeting to consider the next time he hears the howls of protests from the left….
Comments