With no challengers having emerged in the Labour leadership nomination period, it is all but certain that Andy Burnham will soon be elected unopposed as leader. As such, there will not be a vote among Labour members, and there will be no campaign for Labour members’ votes.

But if Labour party members had been treated to a leadership election (which our poll finds 38% wanted), what would they have told the contestants they wished to see prioritised?

A new YouGov poll among Labour members asked them what they think should be the biggest priorities for the next prime minister. Respondents answered in their own words with up to three responses, which were categorised by YouGov’s AI-powered Topic Quantifier model.

The two biggest categories, mentioned by more than three in ten members, are the cost of living (33%) and the NHS (31%). While the NHS has hit the lowest levels in a decade on our ‘most important issues facing the country’ polling among the general public, it is clear that Labour members still see improvements to the NHS as something that Burnham must prioritise.

Labour members are also concerned about global issues, with 17% citing defence as one of their top three priorities, 16% mentioning Britain’s relationship with the EU, and 6% citing other foreign issues and affairs (Gaza being a common example).

An issue that comes up a lot less among Labour members compared to similar polls of the general public is immigration, with only 11% citing it as a priority, a figure which includes some who wish to relax the restrictions. Crime is another issue which was mentioned by just 2%, despite its large presence in the national conversation.

While Andy Burnham has made his biggest announcements around devolution and addressing regional equality, including his ‘No. 10 of the North’ policy, just 4% of Labour members cited this as one of their top three priorities for the next prime minister, including still only 7% among members in the North.

Though our poll of Labour members showed they were supportive of Burnham (86% said they were favourable of him), acting on the regional divide may be an issue he is more passionate about than his party’s grassroots.

See full results here

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