THE Green Party tops the charts for public ownership policies among all major parties, a new analysis has found.

Campaign group We Own It has launched a scorecard ranking parties on their policies for the NHS, water, rail, energy, buses and the Royal Mail.

The Greens scored the highest for supporting public ownership, with newly elected leader Zack Polanski making nationalising water a cornerstone of his campaign. 

Plaid Cymru also ranked high, especially on transport and the NHS, with its manifesto opposing the “privatisation of services by stealth through outsourcing.”

Reform UK scored low on NHS privatisation plans, but high on water and energy, with their policy to introduce 50 per cent public ownership and 50 per cent pension fund ownership.

Labour’s plans to bring all rail franchises into public ownership signalled a shift in the right direction, campaigners said.

However, the party ruled out taking water back into public hands and banned it from consideration in the recent “independent” review into the industry, while Health Secretary Wes Streeting has insisted he “won’t shrink from opening the NHS” to the private sector.

The analysis reported that most of the public supported nationalisation, including 87 per cent backing the NHS.

We Own It director Cat Hobbs said: “Most of our established political parties are still swimming against the tide of public opinion. 

“They have been slow to respond to the anger we feel at being ripped off by the foreign billionaires and hedge funds swallowing up most of our water and energy bills.

“The Greens have long been supporters of nationalisation and now even Reform can see that public ownership is a vote-winner.”

Ash Smith, founder of Windrush Against Sewage Pollution, said: “People are waking up to the fact that, especially for Thames Water, the government is making an active choice to allow the continued rip-off of bill payers.

“With multiple challenges from pro-nationalisation parties, the government must quickly change course and start to represent the 82 per cent who want water in public hands.”

Common Wealth director Mathew Lawrence said: “Voters are sick of being ripped off. 

“Essential services should be run by and for the public. That’s the best and most direct way to get bills down and Britain building.”