Sadiq Khan Should Be The Next Labour Leader, Poll Of UK Voters Finds

Sadiq Khan should be leader of the Labour Party if Jeremy Corbyn decided to step down, a poll of British voters has found.

The BMG poll, commissioned by HuffPost UK, also found a staggering 57% thought no high-profile Labour figure could fill Corbyn’s shoes.

Of the candidates picked out, most (12%) of the 1,500 sample thought the Mayor of London was the best candidate for the job, while the second most popular figure was Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.

Just 3% thought the next Labour leader had to be a woman.

The public were unconvinced anyone in the current Labour frontbench was leadership material, with Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell polling at 3% as the best candidate, along with Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer and Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott.

Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry, who Unite boss Len McCluskey is thought to favour, was the choice of just 2%.

Despite Labour having never elected a female leader, a solid 79% thought experience was a more important factor than gender.

Voters were split on when the next General Election should take place.

One in five (21%) thought there should be a fresh poll as soon as possible after Brexit in 2019, while just 15% wanted another vote immediately. Most - 33% - did not want a fresh election before 2022.

Turning to policy, most people - 43% - thought free movement should end after Brexit. This figure was as high as 52% in the West Midlands and at its lowest - around 18% - in cosmopolitan areas like London.

Overall, 39% thought free movement should continue and 18% said they did not know. 

Most people (40%) said they would support strike action over public sector pay, signalling patience with the Government’s austerity programme was beginning to wear thin.

When asked how a public sector pay rise should be funded, the majority (38%) supported taxing the rich while just 2% supported more cutbacks to public services.

There was little support (2%) for more government borrowing and 15% wanted the Government to tax corporations more.

When thinking about the NHS, the biggest concern to voters was the NHS being understaffed (15%). This was as high as 21% for Labour voters.

The second biggest was immigration putting pressure on services (14%). Only 1% said doctors being paid too much. 

Original Article
Source: huffingtonpost.co.uk
Author: Rachel Wearmouth