Councillors in Reform-won Doncaster were ‘sacrificial lambs over winter fuel’

Labour local election candidates who lost their seats to Reform in Doncaster have blamed Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves for the party’s eviction from power by the insurgent party last week, with one saying they felt like “sacrificial lambs”.

Labour lost control of Doncaster council to Nigel Farage’s party after 15 years in charge on Friday, losing 28 seats. It was the only authority Labour was defending, and appears to have been its second worst result of the night on any council, behind the 38 losses in County Durham.

Despite this, the party managed to hold onto the mayoralty, with Ros Jones winning re-election by 700 votes.

However, as soon as Jones was re-elected she spoke out against Keir Starmer, suggesting the Labour leader was getting it wrong on welfare and winter fuel cuts.

‘We were thrown under the bus’

Speaking to LabourList, two Labour candidates who lost their seats echoed her sentiments, albeit on condition of anonymity.

One said: “We feel collectively we were sacrificial lambs thrown under the bus by the government.

“They knew what was going to happen in the local elections, they knew we would haemorrhage seats, and they let that happen.”

They said they leafleted their entire ward twice over, but on every door they knocked they heard the same thing.

“On every door we spoke to it was about winter fuel and welfare.”

They said voters told them the local election was their opportunity to send a message to Labour.
READ MORE: Runcorn blame game begins – why did Labour lose?

“They were petrified that if they voted for Labour locally the PIP would be taken away from them.”

They said party messaging that the public should vote for Labour to keep Reform out didn’t work in Doncaster.

“When you have got people who are skint it’s not enough saying Reform are bad, please don’t vote for them.”

‘The most horrific campaign ever’

Another candidate who lost their seat said the campaign was “the most horrific, toxic campaign I have ever taken part in in many years of the Labour party”.

They said constituents they had worked with closely for years told them: “We know what you do but we won’t vote for you.”

“They said we need to send a clear message to Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves about the impact they are having on our daily lives.”

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The candidate described the moment they saw the Reform votes spilling out of the ballot boxes as “unreal”.

“The Reform candidates did nothing… miles we walked.”

However they said they were “thrilled” about mayor Ros Jones’ re-election. “I am thrilled for Ros, without her Doncaster Council would have collapsed.”

Downing Street has ruled out a U-turn on means testing the winter fuel payment.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “The policy is set out, there will not be a change to the Government’s policy.”

He added that the decision “was one that we had to take to ensure economic stability and repair the public finances following the £22 billion black hole left by the previous government”.

He also pointed to an expected £1,900 increase in the state pension over the course of the Parliament and an extension to the household support fund as ways the Government was supporting pensioners.

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