‘Reform is taking on the status quo. Labour must too’

Is Reform taking on Labour or the Tories? Commentators who have been fiercely speculating on this question will hear the answer when Nigel Farage takes to the stage at Reform’s latest regional conference today. The setting – a hotel in Chester – is deliberate, bedding down in Labour’s north-western heartlands. However, Farage’s focus is more fundamental. He will position Reform as the disruptors in British politics, challenging the status quo. Labour must do the same or risk becoming accidental defenders of it.

The narrative that Reform is in a straight fight with Labour makes sense on the surface, but a narrow interpretation risks the wrong response. Yes, majorities have been slashed. The average Labour MP in a safe seat in the North West holds a smaller majority over their nearest opponent compared to 2019. Reform is second to Labour in 89 seats, with many of these in the North West. Meanwhile, the Tories have shifted from being the chased to the chasers, moving further rightwards in search of voters who deserted them in 2024. However, this is ultimately a futile exercise. They will not out-Reform Reform. 

‘Key to the success of the government is not drifting into defending the status quo’

The Prime Minister has rightly resisted taking Labour down this path. His calm and measured response to the populist right’s denigration of him and his ministers showed a strength needed in 21st-century politics. This must be coupled with radical policymaking that addresses the fundamental challenges facing the country. Key to the success of this government – and progressives worldwide – is that they don’t drift into becoming accidental defenders of the status quo. 

After all, the status quo is failing Britain. The country is stuck in a doom loop of low productivity, low growth, low investment, and high taxation. Healthcare spending consumes 43 percent of day-to-day government departmental budgets, and this is only set to grow as people live longer but not necessarily healthier lives. An increasingly insecure world rightly demands increased investment in military power, but this comes at the cost of reduced investment in our own people.

READ MORE: ‘Why Reform poses a threat to Labour among young men’

‘It should be the progressive mission to harness AI’

There must be a fundamental reimagining of the state that the left helped create. It won’t be a big state or an ideologically small state. It will be an enabling state, ready for the age of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Too often seen as just a clever chatbot, AI will bring high-IQ intelligence at speed to humanity’s greatest challenges. It will discover new therapeutics and personalize medicine. It will unearth new elements that will create new materials. It will transform complex networks, such as the national grid, making smart decisions to increase energy efficiency and consumption. It will power driverless cars and combine with robotics to move from concept to practice.

Whether we like it or not, AI will change everything. It should be the progressive mission to harness it for our people by putting it at the heart of a new mode of government. This requires data. An enabling state would ensure that every citizen has control of their data through a digital identity – a digital space where their data combines safely and securely. Imagine a student’s digital learner ID, offering a complete record of academic performance, learning styles, attendance, and attainment.

READ MORE: Labour’s most marginal seats against Reform UK revealed

It could plug into game-changing AI tutors that personalize teaching, recognizing that every student is different and breaking the link between geography and access to quality learning. Meanwhile, a patient’s digital health ID will boost efficiency in the NHS, removing the need to endlessly share personal information at reception desks or in multiple appointments.

Over time, it will secure the much-needed shift to prevention, as AI continually maps a patient’s risk profile and proactively offers treatments to enable people to live healthier, happier lives. Digital ID will personalize public services, but the real magic will happen in the insight it generates across services – for example, understanding the interplay between health and education – allowing the government to make better decisions.

If progressives don’t own this, then the right will – as seen with the fusion of technologists and populists in the US. Reform’s ambition is clear: they want to win everywhere. Their North West conference won’t be about speaking to a particular geography but addressing the palpable sense of disdain with the country – one shared by three quarters of voters. Labour can counter this in government. With a strong majority and time on their side, they must out-reform Reform. This means reimagining what the state is and what it’s capable of.

For more from LabourList, follow us on  Bluesky, Threads, X, Facebook,  Instagram or WhatsApp.

SIGN UP: Get the best daily roundup and analysis of Labour news and comment in our newsletter

• SHARE: If you have anything to share that we should be looking into or publishing about this story – or any other topic involving Labour– contact us (strictly anonymously if you wish) at [email protected]. 
• SUBSCRIBE: Sign up to LabourList’s morning email here for the best briefing on everything Labour, every weekday morning. 
• DONATE: If you value our work, please donate to become one of our supporters here and help sustain and expand our coverage.
• PARTNER: If you or your organisation might be interested in partnering with us on sponsored events or content, email [email protected].