Voters are more likely to punish Labour at the next election for failing to improve NHS than if they put up tax, a new poll has found.
The findings cast doubt on the Tories’ election campaign strategy, which has revolved around warning people that an incoming Labour government will hike taxes by £2,000 per household.
Portland Communications presented voters planning to back Labour tomorrow with a list of pledges the party made in its election manifesto.
They then asked how likely they would be to vote Labour again if they failed to keep those promises.
According to the results, seen by HuffPost UK, breaking their pledge not to increase income tax, VAT or National Insurance is not even in the top 10 of possible deal-breakers.
Failing to make sure the NHS has access to as many of the best medicines as possible was the issue most likely to make voters turn their backs on Labour, the poll found.
Other promises seen as more important than not increasing tax included doubling the number of NHS scanners to speed up cancer diagnosis, ensuring 40,000 more GP appointments, cutting crime, growing the economy and running the country in a more grown-up way.
Gabriel Milland, Portand’s head of research, told HuffPost UK: “It seems clear that the Tory decision to run on tax was a bad one – even if was their only choice given the shortage of other achievements they could point to.
“The public aren’t fools. They know that taxes are likely to go up no matter who is in power. Even among those still planning to vote Tory, only 15% would expect their taxes to go down under another Rishi Sunak government.
“More Tory voters – 25% – actually expect that their taxes would go up under the Tories. And taxes have gone up, of course.
“The priorities of the public are all around public services, especially the NHS. If Labour is to preserve the voting coalition they are likely to come to power with, it’s improvements here – on everything from dental appointments to potholes – which is going to be crucial.
“Labour needs to stand and deliver if it is going to have a chance of winning again.”