The cracks in our foundation (seats): Labour strategy document leaks

Labour’s strategy for winning back the ‘Red Wall’, or ‘foundation seats’ as they are now being called, is splashed across the Guardian front page. The leaked presentation, provided by an external company to the party, advises Labour to rebrand with use of the flag, veterans and “dressing smartly”. It explores voters’ assessment of the new leader: Keir Starmer is identified as the party’s “biggest positive driver” but research also highlights concerns that he is “sitting on the fence” and Labour has been “way too quiet”. This touches on the challenge of opposition during a pandemic: Starmer has slowly ramped up criticism of the government, while still stressing his support for some initiatives, but does this mean voters that are reached by Labour have heard messaging they regard as non-committal and other voters haven’t heard anything?

Boris Johnson may use the paper as a prop at Prime Minister’s Questions today, or at least refer to its findings, because the most cutting comments reflect his own weekly jibes about abstentionism and flip-flopping. But members reacting to the story online have focused on the recommendations of the strategy document rather than the voter criticisms, with the former actually being seen as more concerning to some Labour activists (and apparently to Aditya Chakrabortty, who penned an opinion piece alongside the report). The irony of having a third party tell Labour about “authentic values alignment” in consultancy speak is certainly off-putting. Whether flag-waving must feature on the path back to power divides activists.

The big question is how to bring together Labour’s disparate constituencies in order to win a general election. Some are worried that the party could be tempted to use simultaneously vacuous and harmful messaging, typified by the infamous immigration mug, which neither convinces voters nor speaks to what should be Labour’s real values. Labour Together’s 2019 report recommended a way through: big economic change can unite a coalition broad enough for Labour to win. Why not follow that advice? Starmer allies would reply that the party must first work to get a hearing, and therefore must build trust by conveying national pride and economic credibility. The key is ensuring that all of this groundwork comes across as genuinely authentic and that short-term wins do not undermine the left in the long run.

On LabourList today, we have news of ex-officials suspended over the ‘Labour leaks’ report being readmitted to the party, with details that will interest many readers. In our comment section, a piece by Angela Eagle on Maureen Colquhoun, the first out lesbian MP who has died aged 92, is a must-read. For local government week, LGA Labour deputy leader Michael Payne has written about rebuilding Labour from the ground up and digital campaigning. Tracy Brabin has a piece on her mayoral bid and the West Yorkshire devolution deal, while Stephen Cowan has another on the power of localism.