A strong majority of the British public in principle support the introduction of a so-called Universal Basic Income, a new poll suggests.

An opinion study asked respondents what they thought of “an income unconditionally paid by the government to every individual regardless of whether they work and irrespective of any other sources of income”.

Having it explained that the income “replaces other social security payments and is high enough to cover all basic needs”, 62 per cent of the UK population said it would support such a policy.

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The UK result was part of a wider study of EU-wide opinion on the subject conducted by German pollsters Dalia Research.

They surveyed a sample of 10,000 people across the EU, representative of the EU’s 28 contrives by phone.

UK support was slightly lower than the EU average of 64 per cent. The highest support for the concept came from Spain, where 71 per cent of respondents said they would support such a measure.

There, the policy has been discussed as a potential long-term aspiration of the political party Podemos’s platform.

Switzerland, which is outside the EU, is this summer to hold a referendum on introducing such a basic income. Polls suggest around 40 per cent of the population are likely to vote for the measure, not enough to implement it.

Shape Created with Sketch. The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned Show all 16 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned 1/16 "One case where the claimant’s wife went into premature labour and had to go to hospital. This caused the claimant to miss an appointment. No leeway given" 2/16 "It’s Christmas Day and you don’t fill in your job search evidence form to show that you’ve looked for all the new jobs that are advertised on Christmas Day. You are sanctioned. Merry Christmas" 3/16 "You apply for three jobs one week and three jobs the following Sunday and Monday. Because the job centre week starts on a Tuesday it treats this as applying for six jobs in one week and none the following week. You are sanctioned for 13 weeks for failing to apply for three jobs each week" 4/16 "A London man missed his Jobcentre appointments for two weeks because he was in hospital after being hit by a car. He was sanctioned" 2011 Getty Images 5/16 "You’ve been unemployed for seven months and are forced onto a workfare scheme in a shop miles away, but can’t afford to travel. You offer to work in a nearer branch but are refused and get sanctioned for not attending your placement" 2013 Getty Images 6/16 "You are a mum of two, and are five minutes late for your job centre appointment. You show the advisor the clock on your phone, which is running late. You are sanctioned for a month" 7/16 "A man with heart problems who was on Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) had a heart attack during a work capability assessment. He was then sanctioned for failing to complete the assessment" Rex 8/16 "A man who had gotten a job that was scheduled to begin in two weeks’ time was sanctioned for not looking for work as he waited for the role to start" 9/16 "Army veteran Stephen Taylor, 60, whose Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) was stopped after he sold poppies in memory of fallen soldiers" 2014 Getty Images 10/16 "A man had to miss his regular appointment at the job centre to attend his father’s funeral. He was sanctioned even though he told DWP staff in advance" 2014 Getty Images 11/16 "Ceri Padley, 26, had her benefits sanctioned after she missed an appointment at the jobcentre - because she was at a job interview" Jason Doiy Photography 12/16 "A man got sanctioned for missing his slot to sign on - as he was attending a work programme interview. He was then sanctioned as he could not afford to travel for his job search" 2012 Getty Images 13/16 "Mother-of-three Angie Godwin, 27, said her benefits were sanctioned after she applied for a role job centre staff said was beyond her" 14/16 "Sofya Harrison was sanctioned for attending a job interview and moving her signing-on to another day" 15/16 "Michael, 54, had his benefits sanctioned for four months for failing to undertake a week’s work experience at a charity shop. The charity shop had told him they didn’t want him there" 16/16 "Terry Eaton, 58, was sanctioned because he didn’t have the bus fare he needed to attend an appointment with the job centre" 1/16 "One case where the claimant’s wife went into premature labour and had to go to hospital. This caused the claimant to miss an appointment. No leeway given" 2/16 "It’s Christmas Day and you don’t fill in your job search evidence form to show that you’ve looked for all the new jobs that are advertised on Christmas Day. You are sanctioned. Merry Christmas" 3/16 "You apply for three jobs one week and three jobs the following Sunday and Monday. Because the job centre week starts on a Tuesday it treats this as applying for six jobs in one week and none the following week. You are sanctioned for 13 weeks for failing to apply for three jobs each week" 4/16 "A London man missed his Jobcentre appointments for two weeks because he was in hospital after being hit by a car. He was sanctioned" 2011 Getty Images 5/16 "You’ve been unemployed for seven months and are forced onto a workfare scheme in a shop miles away, but can’t afford to travel. You offer to work in a nearer branch but are refused and get sanctioned for not attending your placement" 2013 Getty Images 6/16 "You are a mum of two, and are five minutes late for your job centre appointment. You show the advisor the clock on your phone, which is running late. You are sanctioned for a month" 7/16 "A man with heart problems who was on Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) had a heart attack during a work capability assessment. He was then sanctioned for failing to complete the assessment" Rex 8/16 "A man who had gotten a job that was scheduled to begin in two weeks’ time was sanctioned for not looking for work as he waited for the role to start" 9/16 "Army veteran Stephen Taylor, 60, whose Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) was stopped after he sold poppies in memory of fallen soldiers" 2014 Getty Images 10/16 "A man had to miss his regular appointment at the job centre to attend his father’s funeral. He was sanctioned even though he told DWP staff in advance" 2014 Getty Images 11/16 "Ceri Padley, 26, had her benefits sanctioned after she missed an appointment at the jobcentre - because she was at a job interview" Jason Doiy Photography 12/16 "A man got sanctioned for missing his slot to sign on - as he was attending a work programme interview. He was then sanctioned as he could not afford to travel for his job search" 2012 Getty Images 13/16 "Mother-of-three Angie Godwin, 27, said her benefits were sanctioned after she applied for a role job centre staff said was beyond her" 14/16 "Sofya Harrison was sanctioned for attending a job interview and moving her signing-on to another day" 15/16 "Michael, 54, had his benefits sanctioned for four months for failing to undertake a week’s work experience at a charity shop. The charity shop had told him they didn’t want him there" 16/16 "Terry Eaton, 58, was sanctioned because he didn’t have the bus fare he needed to attend an appointment with the job centre"

Studies on the policy are being actively carried out in Finland and some Dutch municipalities, and there have been calls from legislators for similar studies in France and the UK.

35 MPs from various parties have so farsigned an Early Day Motion saying the policy should be examined further in the UK.

The support for the policy shown in the poll conflicts slightly with an earlier poll by YouGov conducted late last year.

When asked whether the Government should “remove all welfare benefits and state pension paid to people and give all British citizens a flat-rate monthly payment instead” 18 per cent of the public said they agreed and 53 per cent said they disagreed. 29 per cent said they did not know.

The result should be treated with caution as neither poll touched on how the policy might be funded.

A study by the RSA think-tank conducted last year recommended a basic income as a policy to safeguard the future of the welfare state.

The Green Party has long supported a universal basic income as party policy. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said he is interested in the idea but that details would need working out.

The SNP’s Westminster work spokesperson Neil Gray has called for more research into the policy, and party members passed a motion at its annual conference this year suggesting a basic income could have a place in an independent Scotland.

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