Voters want a decisive move away from Jeremy Corbyn’s agenda on many key issues, while only half of Labour’s supporters are still keen on his taxation and nationalisation plans, according to a new poll.
Leadership hopefuls are beginning to signal their ambitions to take over from Corbyn after his disastrous election, with varying positions on the party’s current manifesto.
As the leadership race moves ahead, a poll conducted on behalf of the Independent has found that almost half of voters think Labour should ditch its current agenda of focusing tax rises on the wealthiest five per cent of the population, with just 27% in favour of keeping the policy.
When asked about Labour’s current positions on public spending and nationalisation, 45% want the policies dumped, said the BMG poll.
Nonetheless, almost a third want to keep both policies.
Only half of Labour’s own voters said they definitely wanted to keep Corbyn’s policies on taxation and nationalisation.
In his election manifesto, Corbyn set out an ambitious left-wing agenda that included sweeping tax reforms and the nationalisation or renationalisation of several industries.
Under the manifesto Corbyn’s party promised to renew Trident, but would attempt to negotiate non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. However, this stance has also proved unpopular with most voters, according to the poll.
Forty-eight per cent of voters wanted Labour to break from it, while just 21 per cent support it.
However, Labour’s current health policies remain popular, with 42% of people wanting to keep them. Its position on climate change is also slightly more popular than unpopular.
Despite these overall findings, the party is currently seen to be unlikely to elect a more centrist leader to succeed Corbyn.
Leading Corbyn supporter Rebecca-Long Bailey, with Richard Burgon as her deputy, is seen as a favourite.
MORE: Labour leadership hopeful Rebecca Long-Bailey being advised by Momentum founderOther candidates expected to stand in the upcoming leadership contest, which is likely to be concluded around March, include Lisa Nandy, David Lammy and Jess Phillips.
Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry and shadow Treasury minister Clive Lewis are the only two to have officially declared their candidacy.
Phillips tweeted on Saturday about “macarthyesq” (sic) propaganda being “spread about me” after re-tweeting images of an “entirely faked newspaper article”.
She added: “There’s plenty to reasonably critique me on, knock yourselves out, but if you have to lie and misrepresent you harm not just me but our movement.”
The tweet containing the article has since been deleted.
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