Three quarters (75 per cent) of British adults would support the introduction of a wealth tax of 2 per cent on wealth over £10m, according to a survey from YouGov.

Discussions of a potential wealth tax have come to the fore after former Labour leader, Neil Kinnock, called for its introduction, and the government declined to rule it out.

The YouGov survey of 4,142 British adults found that nearly half (49 per cent) ‘strongly’ supported the introduction of a wealth tax, while 26 per cent ‘somewhat’ supported it.

Just 13 per cent opposed a wealth tax, with 7 per cent somewhat opposed and 6 per cent strongly opposed.

More than one in 10 (12 per cent) said they did not know whether they would want a tax on wealth over £10m.

Men were more likely to oppose the introduction of a wealth tax than women (18 per cent vs 8 per cent), while support was evenly balanced between genders.

Older people were more likely to be against the idea of a wealth tax, with only 2 per cent of 18-24 year olds strongly opposed compared to 9 per cent of those aged 65+.

The vast majority (88 per cent) of Labour voters were in favour of a wealth tax, compared to 62 per cent of Conservative voters.

Just 4 per cent of Labour voters opposed the introduction of a levy on wealth, while 28 per cent of Conservative voters were against it.

When asked about the potential introduction of a wealth tax earlier this week, a spokesperson for Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, did not categorically rule it out.

“The government is committed to the wealthiest in society paying their share in tax,” the spokesperson said.

“The Prime Minister has repeatedly said those with the broadest shoulders should carry the largest burden.”

The calls for a wealth tax come as pressure builds on Reeves to increase taxes after the government’s U-turns on welfare reforms and winter fuel payments, as she seeks to fill a fiscal hole of potentially £20bn.

---