‘listen first, act second and speak later – Labour and rural voters’

“Something rare happened in Norfolk this month.

Labour gained a rural division in the Norfolk County Council elections. In Hethersett, Bawburgh, Flordon and Bracon Ash, voters elected the first Labour county councillor in the history of the South Norfolk constituency.

That councillor is Ben Weston, who ran a fantastic personal campaign rooted in local priorities, local relationships and a clear understanding of what rural Labour must mean in a traditionally Conservative facing seat.

Now, don’t get me wrong. It took two recounts to win by three votes. Three. But politics is often about understanding what those margins tell us. This result was not an accident. It was the product of a distinctly different Labour offer taking shape in South Norfolk.

We listen first, act second and speak later.

READ MORE: The importance of keeping it local

What do I mean by that? Mainly this: we deliver on people’s priorities, not what we perceive them to be.

Talking ad nauseam about the Employment Rights Act may make Labour people feel good, but it is not tangible to many voters in South Norfolk. Acting on flood protection, nature recovery and the scandal of Estate Management Fees is tangible. People can see it. They can feel it. And when you focus on those issues, residents are willing not only to hear you out, but to support you at the ballot box.

We also do not ram party politics down people’s throats. Electors are far smarter than politicians often give them credit for. They know who runs the local councils. They know what the Conservatives did to the national economy. They know Brexit has not worked as promised. Repeating those points endlessly achieves little.

Instead, we use our bandwidth to defy expectations.

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Labour is often seen as detached from rural issues. So I have made the case for protecting the family farm, including rebelling against my own government over inheritance tax changes affecting farms. Labour is told it does not understand that many rural homes are not connected to mains gas, so I joined colleagues in campaigning for support for heating oil customers and called for a Competition and Markets Authority investigation. Labour is accused of being anti-business, so I have consistently argued that without thriving businesses we do not have the tax base to invest in public services, and that we cannot keep asking firms for more.

At the same time, I have repeatedly called out the wrongdoing of the reactionary right, whether Reform or Conservative.

Add these ingredients together: a hardworking local candidate, a clear narrative about what rural Labour means, and a willingness to unite the progressive vote, and suddenly Labour starts winning divisions it has never won before.

Labour must become more willing to listen internally to those winning in places the party historically struggles. Rural Labour cannot simply be an urban model painted green. It requires a different approach, different language and, at times, different priorities. If the party wishes to succeed, it should pay attention to what happened in Hethersett, Bawburgh, Flordon and Bracon Ash.”

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