Exclusive poll reveals Wales Red Wall voters demand energy public ownership

Voters embrace radical action to end energy privatisation

An exclusive poll by Survation of Wales Red Wall voters has revealed overwhelming support for public ownership of the UK’s energy system.

An absolute majority (58 per cent) of Wales Red Wall voters supported bringing the UK’s domestic energy industry into public ownership.

Support for bringing the National Grid, including both the supply of gas and electricity, into public ownership was even more popular, with nearly three quarters (73 per cent ) of respondents supporting this measure.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Public ownership of our energy industry is not just crucial for the future of the country but a vote winner across key battleground seats.

“We’ve seen how the 1980s model of selling the family silver has failed. Rising prices and crumbling infrastructure for the public, massive profits for the corporations. The public have had enough and it’s time for politicians to choose whose side they are on.”

This week, Unite took a motion calling for the energy industry to be returned to public ownership to Labour Party Conference. Despite the motion being overwhelmingly passed by delegates, Labour’s leadership has not committed to include the measure in its next manifesto.

Sharon Graham added: “Voters want real change and Labour must grasp that opportunity. If record energy profits had been used to help the British public, rather than given to overseas shareholders, we could have cut the average household bill by £1,800 and inflation by over four per cent. It’s time to put people before the profiteers.

Unite has published Renationalising Energy, a fully costed in-depth report into the cost and benefits of bringing energy into public ownership.