Labour members see health and economy as biggest challenges, survey finds

On August 4, 2026, results of a survey of Labour members were released, showing how the party’s base rates the country’s main challenges and its tax preferences. The survey, carried out from late June to late July, included 788 respondents.

Labour members’ priorities

Respondents identified health (43 %), the economy (42 %), cost of living (39 %) and climate change (29 %) as the most important issues. These topics outranked welfare benefits (7 %) and immigration (6 %).

View on welfare spending

Despite internal parliamentary debates on the matter, 47 % of members believe the government is overspending on welfare, while 21 % think the spending is insufficient.

Tax preferences to fund policies

When asked how to fund the current welfare package, 52 % support raising taxes. Of those, 70 % prefer that only the highest incomes be taxed, and 24 % back raising taxes for everyone.

Support for higher defence and social care spending

Seventy-three percent of members want the government to invest more in social care, funded by higher taxes – either on the highest incomes or more generally. Regarding defence, 68 % call for greater investment, and 61 % of that group are willing to pay for it through tax increases.

Internal political positioning

Three quarters of respondents said they backed Keir Starmer in the 2020 internal contest. Although the survey did not address Andy Burnham’s leadership, an earlier poll showed he had 72 % favourability among members, suggesting he would win a potential contest.

Impact on government levels

The results were sent to senior strategists at Downing Street, indicating that the government closely monitors the Labour base’s views. The think-tank ThinkLabour, formerly Labour Together, conducted the survey under the interim leadership of Christabel Cooper, who emphasized the need to understand what members actually think rather than make assumptions.

With information from The Guardian.