Knocking on doors on polling day last week it was clear that Labour wasn’t heading for the disaster some predicted. In Milton Keynes, Labour held onto all of its seats targeted by the Conservatives. Given that last year we lost many of them that is no small victory. Success in 2016 was hard won against a well-funded Conservative campaign. Yet defending the gains, whilst good, is no substitute for learning the lessons of why we lost in 2015.
There is a worrying narrative developing amongst some in Labour circles. It goes something like this: Labour’s massive growth in membership shows that the party is in touch with the public at large, and our only barrier is disunity among members of parliament. If everyone turned their fire on the Conservatives, we would be further along the road to 2020.
This simplistic argument is as frustrating as it is wrong. Frustrating because it denies any explanation for defeat other than internal party unity; wrong because it fails to acknowledge the complex challenges we face.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I am delighted by every seat Labour won last week. The incredible energy, dedication and commitment of Labour candidates, successful or not, against a turbulent national picture for the party is amazing. But this is an unpopular government. Ministers are making so many U-turns it might be easier for them to install some MK roundabouts in Whitehall so they can turn round even quicker. My anecdotal experience on the doorstep during the general election and in these most recent elections is that people understand David Cameron’s flaws. In too many instances, they just prefer the Conservatives to us. Of course we should hold the government to account, and Labour’s shadow frontbench are doing that brilliantly. Yet the public deserve us to listen to them and to acknowledge why they deserted us at last year’s general election. No amount of shouting at the government is a substitute for the hard graft of winning back trust.
It may be odd to have to state it, but winning matters. For every U-turn forced on the government, wouldn’t it be better to have Labour ministers in place that wouldn’t make the mistakes in the first place? Winning means making up ground in our marginal seats, especially after the recent Scottish results. Labour cannot win a majority without succeeding in places like Milton Keynes, and Bedford, Northampton, Stevenage, Corby, Plymouth, Swindon and many others. While I salute Labour’s amazing gains in big urban areas and university towns, I also recognise the complex route needed to reach success at 2020. It is no longer a matter of just Southern Discomfort – Labour’s problems are spread through swing seats in the south and Midlands. If we ignore that, we rule ourselves out of contention on the national stage.
As Labour’s fantastic new mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, expressed it this week, we need a big tent approach to winning. Sadiq’s two lessons from London stand the test for the rest of the country as well: Labour only wins when we face outwards and focus on what people care about; and we will only be trusted if we reach out and engage all voters. We need to apply these lessons to everything we do. Shouting at the Tories may make us feel good, but it is not a strategy on its own to rebuild trust or win in higher turnout elections.
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Andrew Pakes is former parliamentary candidate for Milton Keynes South. He tweets @Andrew4MK
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As can be expected from Andrew a level headed, practical approach borne out of assiduously keeping in touch with voters. I was going to say a wise head on young shoulders, but both elements applied when he was my ward councillor and councillor colleague then. Still inspires me to this day.. not only his elector focussed understanding, nor just his fantastic championing of the city of Milton Keynes, but also his passionate commitment to the environment. There are a number of green spokespeople in Labour, Lisa Nandy is making good headway in her brief and Caroline Flint now having gone beyond, the cost (that is not to say that this is not an issue – especially some of our poorer pensioners) of fuel bills, makes a great environmental argument, Seb Dance MEP, and Andrew too needless to say. But this is an issue on which our party has been very complacent in recent years, including when we were in government, despite much heralded “international successes”. Labour should genuinely lead on important green issues and an “IN” vote on 23rd June is much more likely to keep that door open.
Internal Party Unity is a clear problem and needs to improve. At the same time we are not creating a positive and coordinated narrative if right and left oppose each other all the time and are rubbishing the others contribution. Where the Tories seem to have an inbuilt advantage is that they choose a narrative and stick to it. We are not creating a clear narrative and therefore disunity has become a “default” narrative, and the obsession of the media as a result.