Increase spending, raise taxes say half of Britons

ALMOST HALF of Britons think the Government should raise taxes and increase spending, according to a major study of social attitudes.

The 48 per cent who backed increased taxes and spending is the highest proportion to support such measures since 2004, according to the British Social Attitudes report.

Just four per cent said they wanted to see taxes and spending on health, education and welfare cut, while 44 per cent said the levels should remain the same.

The survey, carried out before the wave of terror atrocities in London and Manchester, also found support for measures aimed at boosting security at the expense of civil liberties.

Some 53 per cent said that the Government should be able to detain people without trial for “as long as they want” in times of terrorist attack, although that figure is down from 64 per cent 10 years ago, while 41 per cent said the authorities should not have that right.

More than three quarters (77 per cent) said the Government should be able to tap people’s phones at a time of a terrorist threat with just 16 per cent against; 70 per cent backed the use of random stop-and-search powers, while 24 per cent said those powers should not be available.

Some 80 per cent said the Government should have the right to keep people under video surveillance in public areas, with 14 per cent against. But there was less support for monitoring emails and internet communications – 50 per cent supported the Government’s right to do that, with 43 per cent opposed.

Roger Harding, head of public attitudes at the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), said: “People’s tolerance for austerity is drying up, even if that means higher taxes.”