Following Heywood and Middleton by-election, Miliband urged to promote Northern working-class MPs

It’s reported in the Sunday Telegraph (£) following the Heywood and Middleton by-election, Miliband is being urged to promote Northern working class MPs.

Ukip came in a very second close place – only 617 votes behind Labour’s Liz McInnes – in the Heywood and Middleton by-election last week. In response to this, it’s said that Labour MPs from the North of England are urging Miliband to include more working-class, Northern MPs in his Shadow Cabinet. This is ahead of a rumoured reshuffle that may take place next week.

Simon Danczuk MP for Rochdale, the constituency neighbouring Heywood and Middleton, told the Telegraph: “It is certainly a wake-up call. The party is dominated by the London-centric view of the world that doesn’t really connect with what’s really going on in places like Rochdale or Haywood and Middleton We probably have more Labour MPs in the North West than we do in any other region in the county and yet we don’t punch our weight, we don’t inform policy as much as we should do.”

He went on to urge Miliband to include more Northern minister because, he said that way “we would do better policy and make a better Government.”

It’s rumoured that another Labour MP agreed with Danczuk, explaining: “There are people who feel over the course of 13 years the Labour party has kind of lost touch with them … Of course every leadership team over those 13 years takes a share of the blame.”

We’ll keep up updated on any developments.