How the “seaside express” is looking to revamp summer campaigning – and the Labour Party

August is often thought of as a quiet time in British politics. Derided as “silly season”, this is the month when most politicians go on holiday. Perhaps the reason it’s particularly quiet though is that it’s also the month when most journalists go on holiday too…

Yet this year, the Labour Party has made a concerted effort to remain active throughout August. The branded “The Choice” speeches began at the end of last month and have continued since, with most members of the Shadow Cabinet contributing. And as candidates continue to campaign throughout the summer, so is the central party. Today there are over a hundred activists joining two of Labour’s new “Campaign Deputies” Jon Ashworth and Gloria de Piero on the party’s summer “seaside express”.

Today they’re in Brighton, along with Nancy Platts, Peter Kyle, and Purna Sen, Labour’s PPCs for Brighton Kemptown, Hove, and Brighton Pavilion – and will even be doing phone canvassing for the West Midlands PCC election this evening too.

The purpose isn’t just to campaign across three key marginal seats though – the intention is also to begin signing up the Labour supporters which arose from the Collins Review reforms agreed at Special Conference earlier this year. Registered supporters will be able to vote alongside party members in future Labour leadership contests, and the process of signing up those supporters begins in earnest in Brighton today. Ahead of today’s event, Gloria de Piero said that “too often people think all politics is the same or just a game played out in Westminster for the amusement of a few privileged men and even fewer women. But I know – and Labour knows – that there are thousands of people in every community who care about the future of our country but feel no-one will ever listen to them.”

She’s not wrong. The challenge for the party over the next months is to show those people who are sceptical about people’s desire to become registered supporters rather than members – and the only way to do that is to start signing up supporters by the thousands. Certainly by including signing up supporters as part of campaigning – as is happening today – is one way to improve the uptake considerably.

In the coming days, the “seaside express” will be heading to Waveney, Morecambe and Blackpool (all key seats)where they’ll be joined by young Labour activists. Assuming that these events are successful, “Labour express” campaign days could become another weapon in the party’s arsenal in the run up to election day – and PPCs will likely be queuing up for the chance to have one visit them.