Nearly half of Labour members are ashamed of their country’s history and 53 per cent want to see the Monarchy abolished, new poll reveals
- Barely one in three of the Labour faithful are proud of Britain’s past, says poll
- Party’s 500,000-plus members are shown to be wildly at odds with the country
- They want to ditch the Monarchy and deny Labour has an anti-Semitism issue
Jeremy Corbyn is bequeathing his successor a Labour Party so out of touch with mainstream British values that almost half of its members are ‘ashamed’ of their own country’s history, according to a new poll.
After four years with Mr Corbyn at the helm, barely one in three of the Labour faithful are proud of the nation’s past, compared to more than 50 per cent of voters.
The YouGov survey also shows the party’s 500,000-plus members are wildly at odds with the public on wanting to ditch the Monarchy, and with many in denial about Labour’s problems with anti-Semitism.
Last night, former Labour MP Ian Austin – who quit in protest at Mr Corbyn’s leadership – said the outgoing leader was handing his successor a ‘toxic legacy’ of a party ‘gripped by extremism and poisoned by anti-Semitism’.
Labour party members want to abolish the Monarchy and deny their party has a problem with anti-Semitism, a poll by YouGov has revealed
It comes after just four years under Jeremy Corbyn’s disastrous leadership and two defeats at general elections as the party’s policies failed to chime with voters
Mr Austin, chairman of cross-party anti-extremism group Mainstream, also predicted it would ‘take years to purge Labour and restore its reputation as a mainstream party that shares the values and views of hard-working Britons’.
The survey comes as the contest to succeed Mr Corbyn enters its final stages, with Sir Keir Starmer still favourite to be named new party leader on April 4 – ahead of rivals Rebecca Long Bailey and Lisa Nandy.
Mr Corbyn has spoken of his pride in building up Labour’s membership. But the new poll, commissioned by Mainstream and carried out last week, contrasted their views with those of the public at large and found huge differences.
More than half of Brits – 53 per cent – were proud of the last 300 years of the nation’s history. But only 29 per cent of Labour members agreed, while 48 per cent of them said Britain’s past in that period was something to be ashamed of.
Similarly, the poll found widespread support for the Monarchy among ordinary Britons, with 63 per cent wanting the institution to continue. In contrast, 53 per cent of the Labour faithful wanted to see the Royal Family replaced with an elected head of state.
Britain’s main opposition Labour member Ian Austin shown speaking in the Commons
A huge divide also opened up over who was to blame for Labour’s historic General Election defeat last year, with nearly half of general voters blaming Mr Corbyn’s leadership but only 36 per cent of Labour’s members agreeing.
And Labour’s grassroots was at odds with the public over anti-Semitism, with 78 per cent of party members believing the problem was either exaggerated (53 per cent) or that there was no problem at all (25 per cent).
But only 29 per cent of ordinary voters thought it had been over-stated and just 10 per cent thought Labour did not have a problem with anti-Semitism.
Last night, Mr Austin said: ‘Almost half of Labour members are ashamed of Britain’s history and more than half want to do away with our Monarchy. Contrast that with the values and views of the general public – a nation proud of its rich heritage and history and supportive of the Monarchy – and you will see what a toxic legacy the new Labour leader will inherit from Jeremy Corbyn next month.’
Labour sought to dismiss the Mainstream poll findings last night by launching a fierce personal attack on Mr Austin, adding: ‘No one who associates with him is a mainstream or credible voice.’