Most Conservative voters now back higher taxes to fund the NHS, the British Social Attiudes Survey has found.

The polling, carried out by the National Centre for Social Research, found that 53 per cent of Conservatives Party supporters think the Government should increase taxes and spending on public services.

It marks a departure from data showing that for more than 15 years most Conservatives have said taxes should either fall or stay the same.

This year 60 per cent of all respondents backed the policy, the highest level of support since 2002, in figures which analysts said showed voters were "tiring of austerity".

The study, carried out last year, suggests a significant shift in public attitudes, with support levels up from 48 per cent in 2016.