Labour have been given a reminder of what the left is actually for

Plus: Reaction following a disastrous day for progressive politics

It felt very much like one road was being chosen during the local election results… Illustration by Kaitlan Bachan for The Lead.

The results are in, and they tell the story we all expected: Reform UK has strong support across the country, while Labour - the incumbent government - has taken a hit.

For the prime minister, this must be more than just a moment of discomfort. It’s time take stock of what has been revealed, objectively, for the first time: the country is definitively rejecting Labour’s cautious managerialism, vague promises, and cultural triangulation. It’s time for a change in approach.

Across the West, the left is encountering somewhat of an identity crisis, pondering the question: what are we for? As support for the right surges, progressives have been forced to reckon with why their message isn’t resonating in an era of rampant inequality and widespread discontent. Perhaps, in recent years, the left has focused too much on identity and not enough on material change. Others suggest we have failed to take the public along with us. Either way, we are not winning the argument.

Here in the UK, that identity crisis is as clear as day. We’re supposed to have a centre-left government, but it’s hard to see much of the left in its actions. Yes, Labour has made some positive moves: strengthening workers’ rights, bolstering renters’ protections, and nationalising the railways. But these policies have been subject to watering down and given little more than a tepid push compared to Labour’s focus on reducing immigration, streamlining the state, and cutting welfare benefits.

There are voices within the party – close to the leadership – who think that Labour must move further right, particularly on immigration and identity. They argue that Labour must “understand” Reform voters, which always seems to mean appeasing the worst of their rhetoric. But for those of us who believe this path is both morally bankrupt and strategically flawed, the message from the locals should bolster our cause: Labour cannot outflank Reform on reactionary politics and nor should it try.

Let’s be clear: Reform UK isn’t gaining ground because its economic or social offer is coherent. There’s plenty to critique in Nigel Farage’s platform, much of which has already been exposed, but must be continually hammered at by commentators and politicians alike. People are voting for this firebrand challenger because their lives have worsened over the past 14 years and Labour has offered little by way of bold, hopeful alternatives. When wages stagnate, bills skyrocket, NHS waiting lists grow longer, and public services fall apart, voters will latch onto anyone who seems to be shouting loudest about their despair, even if the solutions they offer are shallow or downright harmful. They want the heat of their anger reflected back at them, finally validated by those with power.

Instead of chasing Reform on immigration, Labour must now offer a transformative economic vision that tackles the root causes of discontent: inequality, insecurity, and the collapse of public services. This means being honest about who’s benefited from the past decade, and who’s paid the price. Why have the rich gotten richer while the poorest have been left to struggle? Who profited from the pandemic, while ordinary people watched loved ones die in crowded hospitals and saw their local services fall apart? Why are CEOs pocketing record wages while the rest of us face stagnant wages and insecure work?

This is what the left is for: economic solutions to address inequalities. Beneath Labour’s internal squabbles, there is a path forward, and one that could unite its broad coalition around a radical but credible economic agenda. The Blue Labour faction may have views on social issues that are out of step with Labour’s core supporters, but it still demands economic progressivism and investment in communities. Many backbenchers are privately longing for looser fiscal rules to help weather rising geopolitical challenges. The public, too, wants to see more investment in public services and a fairer tax system that asks those with the broadest shoulders to contribute more.

Start with a wealth tax, which is still popular and long overdue. Reform the broken council tax system that disproportionately hits the poor. And those who sit on large portfolios of unearned wealth should not be paying less tax than those working hard to make ends meet, so shift the tax burden from earnings to wealth by equalising capital gains tax with income tax. Invest in public services and genuinely affordable housing. Put money back into people’s pockets by expanding workers’ rights, and making it easier to secure well-paid, stable work.

To borrow a line from Reform: this is about common sense. People need tangible improvements to their material conditions, not empty promises. The electorate has been misled into thinking tougher borders and more culture war rhetoric are the answers. But beneath it all, it’s the everyday challenges of affordable housing, decent healthcare, well-paid jobs, and clean, safe communities. These are Labour’s core strengths.

The tragedy for Labour is that it has the moral authority – and the space – to make this case. The Tories are tired, discredited, and scandal-ridden. Reform has no real answers or infrastructure to build on. Yet Labour risks squandering its advantage by offering technocratic tweaks and moving further right when what’s needed is political courage.

This round of local elections should not push Labour to the right. The country is crying out for change. Labour must show it knows what that means, or risk watching even more voters walk away.

A view from the North as Reform makes major gains - and will now face the task of delivery not just talk…

By Luke Beardsworth & Ed Walker

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There was no disputing the results. The overall picture from across England in the local elections made Runcorn & Helsby’s close call seem like it happened six months ago.

In Lancashire, it wasn’t even a competition. If towels existed to be thrown in, it’d have been chucked onto the stage the moment Chorley North was announced for Reform UK.

Likely-but-not-confirmed new Lancashire County Council leader Stephen Atkinson, formerly of the Tories but now a different shade of blue, said his party was ready to ‘roll their sleeves up’.

But the challenge his party faces is mimicked in the seven new councils Reform UK has complete control of where there’s plenty of promises to fulfil but little experience in doing so.

Atkinson told The Lead after his victory: "The county council’s in two halves. You’ve got the officers who’ve got a lot of experience and the politicians doing their policies. We’ve got work closely with the officers, we’ve got to have a respectful, mutual relationship to deliver for the people of Lancashire.

“We’ve been very careful in this campaign. We’ve not overpromised, we’ve talked about the concerns we have with the budget, that we’re gonna put people front and centre of everything we do at the country council.”

Over at The Lead North, we’ll be keeping a very close eye on what Reform get up to in County Hall with The Lancashire Lead. Beyond Lancashire then we spoke with research fellow at think-tank IPPR North, Ryan Swift, as they had been going over Reform’s election pledges to get a flavour of what to expect as the party in some places moved 'out of campaign mode and into delivery mode'.

He told The Lead as the final results trickled through on Friday afternoon: "They've made a lot of noises about the bus services and looking at greater and faster government control there - something we have seen is making a big impact in Manchester and other places too.

"And if you look there's a similar theme to say the 2019-era Johnson rhetoric about more investment being funnelled towards places which feel left behind in the North - so outside your big urban centres which traditionally receive the largest settlements. So it will be interesting to see now Reform are in power for some of those places if they secure it.

"But we have concerns too, if you look at the likes of Andrea Jenkins she's talking about a 'DOGE style' approach for local government. Given the austerity measures and the precarious state of many councils finances then they are going to find there's not much left there - unless you're talking about a big impact on actual services people use in their day-to-day lives.

"And they've been vociferous in going after NetZero investment, which for places like Lincolnshire and the Humber are going to be crucial big industries to come in and create a lot of jobs and growth."

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And at The Lead, we’ll keep holding Labour to account (and keeping a watchful eye on Reform too) and pushing for the bold, transformative change this country urgently needs — to build a fairer, more equal society and to confront the growing threat of the far right. Zoe has written extensively on this, calling on millionaires to pay their share of tax and for the government to reconsider its austerity agenda.

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We’ll finish by saying we hope as the ballot boxes are all packed away there’s a thank you made to all the election officials and staff who make democracy happen. The focus is always rightly on the candidates, the winners, the losers etc. We heard someone on the radio during Friday afternoon that ‘local election results should taken with a pinch of salt’. It’s that kind of dismissive attitude which is dangerous.

While turnout may be low, every election is important in itself. So we’ll sign off this weekend’s newsletter by raising a glass to the vote counters, the poll station clerks, the polling card issuers, and everyone else involved in making the act of an election happen - so that all of us can put an X in the box on polling day. We hope they all enjoy a glass of whatever they fancy this Bank Holiday weekend. We’ll be back in your inbox on Tuesday.

Natalie, Zoe, Ed, Luke and all at The Lead