Among Tory voters, 57% back the Government to run utilities and 29% prefer the private sector.

Even Tory voters think that key utilities such as water, rail and power networks should be nationalised, a new poll has found.

The poll, carried out by Ipsos Mori for the ipaper, found broad public support for nationalisation of key utilities, including among Tory voters.

68% of those asked favoured nationalisation of water, with 65% of respondents also saying that railways should be bought under public ownership. 63% said power networks should be publicly owned; and 60% supported a reversal of the privatisation of Royal Mail.

Among Tory voters, 57% back the Government to run utilities and 29% prefer the private sector.

It comes at a time when food and energy prices have been rising amid a cost of living crisis.

Last year, a poll for campaign organisation We Own it, which campaigns for public services to be run for people rather than profit, also showed significant public support for public ownership of key utilities like energy and water – including among Conservative voters.

The Survation poll of 4,300 people found that 66% of the public wanted to see energy in public ownership, including 62% of Conservative voters, with 68% of Conservative voters also wanting water to be nationalised.

Commenting on the latest poll findings, Keiran Pedley, director of politics at Ipsos, told i: “This data shows that clear majorities of Britons instinctively support public ownership of various utilities – aside from broadband where views are more mixed.

“Given the general view is that utilities being in public hands would improve the price and quality of service provided, it is perhaps unsurprising that six in 10 prefer utilities in public hands overall.”

Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward

Comments are closed.