Paul Nowak column: ‘Labour must focus on the basics’

The Gorton and Denton by-election cannot simply be written off as “mid-term blues”.

It speaks to something much deeper in Britain and across much of the world – a growing conviction among people that the system is rigged against them.

Millions feel they are doing everything asked of them. They work harder than ever, play by the rules and yet still struggle to get ahead.

The promise that hard work will be rewarded feels broken.

This isn’t the politics of envy. It’s the lived reality of many.

After 14 years of stagnating living standards and austerity the country voted for change in 2024.

READ MORE: ‘I spent years telling workers the law couldn’t help them – that has changed’

But too many people are still waiting to feel it.

There will be no shortage of hot takes about what went wrong in this by-election and where Labour should go next. For me the answer is simple: focus on the basics.

That starts with making work pay – ensuring every job offers security, dignity and a decent standard of living.

Banning zero-hours contracts, ending fire-and-rehire and introducing day-one sick pay are not radical ideas. They are the practical steps needed to unrig an economy that has pushed risk on to workers while rewards flow upwards.

And don’t stop there. Deliver on your promise to increase minimum wage rates for young workers.

Ignore the inevitable and unsubstantiated scaremongering from some business voices – none of whom could get by on the £12.21 an hour they think young workers shouldn’t be entitled to.

This is the workers’ rights agenda Labour was elected to deliver.

Own it. Deliver it. Change lives.

Unrigging the system also means being honest about who has done well in recent years – and who has paid the price.

While homeowners have been hit with soaring mortgage costs and renters squeezed by rising rents, big banks have posted monster profits – benefiting directly from higher interest rates.

At a time when millions are cutting back just to get by it is neither fair nor economically sensible for those windfalls to go largely untouched.

That’s why – building on measures set out in the Budget – Labour must be prepared to argue confidently for increasing the surcharge on banks, alongside fairer taxes on wealth, so those who have gained the most make a bigger contribution to rebuilding the country.

That revenue should be used to ease pressure on households, invest in public services and support the industries and jobs of the future.

This isn’t about punishing success. It’s about balance – and restoring the basic principle that prosperity should be shared, not hoarded.

These policies aren’t just right – they are popular. And they draw a clear dividing line with Reform.

Just last week, Richard Tice announced that Reform would scrap employment protections and renters’ rights – handing power back to bad bosses and rogue landlords.

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That is not change. That’s re-rigging the economy in favour of the wealthy and the powerful.

The public gets it, and if we can take any comfort from last week’s result it’s that the vast majority of people know Reform is a dead end.

The government should draw from this the confidence to be unapologetic about rebalancing the economy towards working people – and proud of taking on vested interests whether that’s bad employers, exploitative landlords or powerful financial institutions.

The same clarity is needed on new challenges like artificial intelligence.

We need strong rules to ensure AI delivers a digital dividend for all, rather than simply concentrating power and wealth in the hands of a few global tech barons like Elon Musk.

And yes – Labour must listen to concerns about migration and show that a fair, values-based managed system is possible. But it will gain nothing from trying to out-Reform Reform. An arms race on who can sound toughest on immigration and asylum will only benefit Nigel Farage.

The moment we are in demands courage and focus. Labour must speak with more confidence about its values and deliver the change people voted for in 2024.

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It must show every single day whose side it is on and what it is fighting for. And it must show it is on the side of the decent majority, not the GB News shock-jocks and their cheerleaders on the far-right.

Labour was elected to unrig the system and fix Britain. Now it must show the country it has the will to do so.

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