Labour releases UKIP attack leaflet

Alongside the digital attacks on the Lib Dems, Labour HQ have announced today that a “limited number” of anti-UKIP leaflets are being produced by the party. Evidently they’re intended as a ‘squeeze’ leaflet to be used on voters who might switch from Labour to UKIP without realising that the Kippers are unreconstructed Thatcherites.

That said, whilst it’s good to see Labour willing to take on UKIP rather than just ignore them (which wasn’t working), it’s frustrating to see Labour attack UKIP without mentioning the positive case for Europe – or the racism of so many of their candidates – whilst restricting the mention of immigration to promising that we will “take tough action on immigration”. That’s not exactly how Labour’s immigration policies have been framed so far – they’ve managed to avoid such crude rhetoric. 

Meanwhile, Miliband’s rents pledge – the key announcement of the election campaign – has been omitted from these leaflets. That’s a shame – to say the least – as they’re a key part of the “positive agenda” that Miliband told me last week would be the key focus of the party’s election strategy. Here’s the leaflet: