‘Learning Lessons’

Last week’s elections were catastrophic for Labour. We lost 1,500 Councillors in England. We failed to unseat the SNP in Holyrood, and we suffered a crushing defeat in Wales. This wasn’t just mid-term blues. It’s much more serious than that.  

If things do not change, we face the very real prospect of a Reform government. Of Farage in Number 10.  

We must start with understanding why we lost so badly. In the Fabian Society’s new series – Learning Lessons – we’ll provide a platform for candidates and campaigners across the country to share what they heard on the doorstep, and views on where we should go next.  

While Reform were the big winners last week, it would be a mistake to assume this was driven by Labour-to-Reform switchers alone. In fact, new polling shows that just one in twenty of those who voted Labour in 2024 switched to Reform. By contrast a staggering one in three Labour voters went Green or Lib Dem, and many more simply stayed at home. In many areas, Labour lost seats to Reform, because they also lost votes to the Greens. 

READ MORE: ‘Ending Britain’s cycle of decline’

This is an inevitable consequence of Labour’s political strategy. This has involved a laser-like focus on ‘hero voters’; economically insecure, socially conservative, and concentrated in the Red Wall. Far less attention has been given to retaining progressive voters.  

Defenders of this strategy argue that it secured a historic majority. But it is increasingly clear that this landslide owed more to the split on the right. And while the majority was broad, it was also thin, and it has proven to be fragile.  

If Labour is to rebuild a winning coalition, we need both to regain the support of progressive voters who have deserted us, and to win socially conservative, economically insecure voters. This can be done with a bold offer and clear leadership. 

First – and the clue is in the name – Labour’s offer must start with a vision for good work. We should build on the Employment Rights Act, by establishing fair pay agreements both in social care and in childcare. This could transform pay and conditions for 2.5 million workers, mainly low paid women. If we are to move beyond incrementalism, we should transform the apprenticeship levy, so that it boosts investment, and redirects it toward young people and low skilled workers.  

Decent homes for all

Labour should commit to decent homes for all. The Government has laid the foundations here with the Renters Rights Act and investment in social housing. But we must go further. We need to double-down on planning reform to get Britain building again. We should further strengthen renters’ rights to control costs and give tenants security, and set out a new offer to support first time buyers.  

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Take back local control  

Labour should help local areas to take back control by putting rocket-boosters under devolution. Even after the government’s Devolution Act, England will remain one of the most centralised countries among advanced economies. We risk remaining stuck in a model of local government which merely distributes scarce resources. Instead, we need to give local communities the powers to unleash their potential. The Treasury must loosen its grip; allowing local areas to raise revenue, borrow, and invest in growth.   

Alongside this, we need a bold offer to re-gain the progressive voters who deserted us.  

Deeper relationships with Europe

Labour must go much further in deepening our relationship with Europe. Brexit has been a disaster, leaving us poorer, weaker and more isolated. Labour should build what Liam Byrne has called an economic and security union, with closer alignment on key sectors and supply chains, stronger partnership on defence, and freedom of movement for young people. Looking to the next Parliament, Labour should explore committing to rejoining the EU.   

A closer relationship with Europe would drive growth, bolster security, and win back progressive voters. More than four in five (84 per cent) Green voters support rejoining the EU. While some Labour MPs have warned this could accelerate the losses to Reform, there is widespread support for a closer relationship with Europe, including among working class voters and across every region.   

Electoral reform

Finally, Labour should get serious about electoral reform. In an era of multi-party politics, our electoral system is neither workable nor defensible. Labour voters back a more proportional system by over two to one, and electoral reform is even more popular with Lib Dem and Green voters.  

The coming weeks look set to be dominated by questions over the leadership. The Fabian Society exists to support debate and discussion on the left. We are about ideas, not individuals; policy and politics, not personalities. We hope that any contest is constructive and comradely; a battle of ideas that helps refresh our offer, and reunite our fractured coalition.

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