‘Tremendous results but more work to do’, says Labour campaign coordinator Pat McFadden

Labour has enjoyed a set of “tremendous results” but there is still “more work to do”, the party’s national campaign coordinator has said.

In an interview on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Pat McFadden said results across England and Wales went “beyond our expectations”, particularly in the West Midlands mayoral contest which Labour won by just over 1,500 votes.

McFadden said: “Not only did we have excellent local election results across the country, but winning that mayoral contest against what I admit was a popular incumbent who had run his whole campaign putting as much distance as he could between himself and Rishi Sunak and the Conservative Party [was] absolutely tremendous.”

Labour gained eight councils across England, including Hartlepool, Milton Keynes, Adur, Thurrock, Redditch and Rushmoor.

However, the party also lost control over Oldham, with a number of independent candidates making gains at Labour’s expense.

McFadden acknowledged that some voters had not backed Labour in the local elections because of the situation in Gaza, but said that in Oldham the conflict was not the only factor at play.

He said: “I understand why people have got strong feelings about this issue. Thousands of people have been killed, there is a great impulse to help people who are in a terrible situation – that is something we share.

“The better life that people want for the Palestinian people is something the Labour leadership shares. If we are fortunate enough to be elected at the general election, it is a very high foreign policy priority for the Labour Party.”

McFadden also vowed to win back the support of those who did not back Labour because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

‘Always more work to do’

While he welcomed the results in the local and mayoral elections, McFadden did not take the general election result for granted and said: “There is always more work to do.”

He said: “I think what the results have given us is a sense of belief that sometimes the Labour Party hasn’t had in recent years, because we’ve become used to losing.

“There is a sense of belief there, but that sense of belief should never be confused with any sense that the job is done.

“Not a single vote has been cast in the general election that is to come.

“When people look at the Labour Party now, they can see a changed Labour Party compared to a few years ago. We are determined to keep going and keep working to earn people’s trust as we approach the general election.”

Read our coverage of the 2024 local elections here.

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