Voters will reject tax rises, Labour think tank warns Miliband

A Labour group has warned Ed Miliband that the public do not support the party's spending priorities and will not vote for higher taxes to pay for them.

The Labour-affiliated Fabian Society has sounded the alarm that the party risks being out of step with public opinion on the crucial issue of tax and spending at the 2015 general election. It suggests that voters have become more "small c-conservative" in the age of austerity.

Its warning, based on extensive opinion research, is a reminder to the Labour leadership that its eight to 10-point lead in the polls could melt away in the heat of an election campaign.

The Fabians found that fewer than one in five people accepts the need for higher taxes to fund more public spending in four core areas seen as a priority for Labour – job schemes; nurseries and childcare; higher education and public housing. Twice as many people want cuts as support increases in subsidised housing.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/voters-will-reject-tax-rises-labour-think-tank-warns-miliband-7953494.html