The British public is overwhelmingly in favour of keeping a range of services in public hands, a poll has shown.
A total of 87 per cent of people are in favour of the police being run by the public sector, 84 per cent for the NHS, 83 per cent for the armed forces and 81 per cent for schools, according to statistics released by YouGov.
The data shows that state ownership of major industries remains incredibly popular and there are only a few services in which private sector involvement is deemed preferable.
In the survey, which looked at 13 industries, it was only telephone and internet providers, banks and airlines that a majority of people believed the private sector should control.
As might be expected, the poll showed that people who intend to vote Labour were notably more likely to think an industry should be run by the state than those who intend to vote Conservative.
In his manifesto, Jeremy Corbyn has pledged to nationalise, or re-nationalise, the Royal Mail, bus, water, and railway companies.
Speaking about nationalising water, Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said it was a necessary step to tackle sharp rises in water rates and “tax avoidance” within the industry.
“It's a significant intervention by the government, the Labour government that will be elected in June,” he said on the BBC Radio 4.
“It's a significant intervention because that's what is needed. That's what's needed in terms of our infrastructure investment - because if we are going to compete in the global economy, we will have to invest in road and rail and new technology,” he added.
