New poll measuring public concern shows key issue Labour can't continue to ignore
A poll found 51 per cent of Britons picked immigration as a 'top issue' facing the country
PA/ YouGov
Immigration and asylum have topped the list of the top national issues for Britons for the first time since 2016.
It comes following a wave of protesting and violent rioting across the country after three girls were killed in a knife attack in Southport last Monday.
The survey, conducted from August 5 to 6, shows that immigration and asylum are the most commonly chosen 'top issue' facing the country with 51 per cent of Britons picking it.
This is a ten-point increase since the previous survey conducted on 17 to 18 July and the highest score YouGov recorded for immigration since August 2016.
Top National issues by voting group
This poll shows the top national issue for Britons is immigration and asylum
YouGov
The issue varies by voting group with an overwhelming 90 per cent of Reform UK voters picking it, 76 per cent of Conservative voters, but only 34 per cent of Labour voters and 27 per cent of Lib Dems.
This makes immigration the top issue for Conservatives and Reform voters, as it had been before the Southport attacks. For Labour voters, this is also the highest level among the group since early 2017.
Concern about crime has grown at an even faster rate with 39 per cent of respondents saying it is a top issue in the country.
This is a nineteen-point increase since mid-July putting the issue in third place overall and is the highest figure for crime since 2011.
Concern about crime is relatively even across political groups with around four in ten Labour, Conservative and Reform UK voters (39 - 42 per cent) saying it is a top issue falling to 33 per cent for Lib Dem voters.
The economy is currently the second top issue with 44 per cent of Britons picking it, but this represents a nine-point reduction since mid-July when it was in first place.
It is still a top issue for Lib Dem and Labour voters (51- 55 per cent) but came third for Reform UK (28 per cent) and Tory voters (41 per cent).
Health is the fourth most important issue for voters which has fallen from second place in mid-July.
Concern about crime and immigration has shot up since mid-July
This chart shows concerns about crime and immigration have shot up since mid-July
YouGov
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However, it still sits in second place for Labour and Lib Dem voters (44 to 45 per cent) but ranks fifth for Conservative and Reform UK voters (20 to 26 per cent).
The poll, which surveyed 2163 adults, found the least important issues for Britons were transport, family life and childcare, welfare benefits and education.
Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, also commented on the YouGov findings on X stating: "The public have woken up and want the kind of action that Labour and the Tories will never deliver.
"This is why politicians and the media are falsely accusing me of being involved in the riots."
People have largely gathered in towns and cities across England and Northern Ireland with concerns about immigration, but some protestors have been intent on violence.
In several cities, counter-protests have violently clashed with protestors while other groups have remained peaceful.
Since August 6, the police say there have been over 400 arrests including children as young as eleven and dozens of police officers have been injured with some receiving hospital treatment.