Key takeaways
- Asked to pick from a list up to three areas they think the government should reduce spending in the most, Labour members are most likely to pick pensions, at 32%
- One in four (25%) include overseas aid spending as one of the top areas, while 23% choose welfare benefits
- Only 8% of the wider British public pick pensions when asked the same question
- Two thirds (64%) of Labour members think the government currently taxes too little and spends too little on public services
Today, Andy Burnham is reportedly going to announce a review into the future of the triple lock in his speech to Labour Conference, in order to fund social care. New YouGov polling, in collaboration with Sky News and iNHouse Communications, reveals that pensions top the list of the spending areas Labour members think the government should cut most highly.
Asked to pick from a list up to three areas they think the government should reduce spending in the most, Labour members are most likely to pick pensions, at 32%. One in four (25%) include overseas aid spending as one of the top areas, while 23% choose welfare benefits. The lowest chosen areas ae the NHS and education at 1% each, with a further 25% saying they would not want to cut any of the areas listed.
Four in ten members under the age of 40 (42%) list pensions as one of their areas for cuts, while among older members, just 15% want to see pensions heavily cut, with the most common answer given by this older group being ‘none of these’ (41%).
Our tracker on this question among the general public shows that Britons are most likely to think that spending should be reduced most in overseas aid (60%), welfare benefits (42%), and the environment and climate change (28%). Just 8% think that spending on pensions should be among the top areas to be highly cut.
We found in July that Labour members are divided on whether they think Burnham should scrap the triple lock altogether. By comparison, the general public are much more in favour of the triple lock, including younger Britons.
What do Labour members think about public spending generally?
Though Labour members would rather see cuts to areas like pensions if they had to, around two thirds (64%) of members think the government currently taxes too little and spends too little on public services, with just 9% saying they tax and spend too much. The British public see things differently – 43% think the government taxes and spends too much, and just 21% think the opposite.
We also asked Labour members what the government should do to fill any gaps in the upcoming budget. Tax rises are the most preferred by members, with 62% choosing them. Just 12% favour public spending cuts, and 10% prioritise greater borrowing.
Methodology
- Sample size: An online survey of 781 Labour Party members aged 16+
- Fieldwork: 18 to 23 September 2026
- In collaboration with: Sky News and iNHouse Communications
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Photo: Getty
