Labour MPs set up group to focus on Reform UK threat
Dozens of Labour MPs have set up an internal group to focus on the threat posed by Reform UK, it has emerged after Nigel Farage’s party topped another national poll.
The informal caucus, which is understood to have been meeting on a regular basis in Parliament, includes members from seats where Reform came second in 2024’s general election.
One red-wall MP who is a member of the group told the PA news agency that a key area of concern was that Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ push for economic growth has been focused too heavily on wealthier areas in the south.
Pointing to her announcement of funding for transport links between Oxford and Cambridge as well as backing for the expansion of Heathrow Airport, they said: “That has no effect whatsoever on the red wall.
“It’s not going to create growth in the forgotten areas where Reform are more likely to be second.”
Investment
Polling
A Labour source said: “Groups of MPs meet all the time about lots of different issues. Labour MPs are rightly concerned about Nigel Farage’s plans to make people pay to access NHS services and will carry on taking the fight to them and other opposition parties in parliament and at the ballot box.”
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So the panic’s beginning to set in then?
Too late guys: the gravy train terminates at the next station!
There’s only one gravy train and Farage is the Fat Controller,
Farage still getting his 70 odd grand pension from the EU?
I do hope so. Shall we talk about Starmer’s ‘special’ pension: or would his mid-lockdown, Yuletide ‘voice coach’ session be more topical?
As will the FM and other ex Labour MEP’s as she is a member of that fund along with 109 other ex MEP’s of all parties in UK what’s your point?
They get the pension at age 65 so neither is actually getting it at present.
I think key policies that Labour could do to win over Reform voters is potentially having a cap on immigration as well as cutting the foreign aid budget from 0.5% to 0.3%. In 2023, the UK provided £15.4 billion of Official Development Assistance (ODA). Now a almost a third of this goes to refugees in the UK but 12% of the aid budget goes to European countries and almost 5% to the Americas. I think they can make the case to cut the latter two and focus on prioritising funding for NHS services in the UK. Before we raise taxes… Read more »
“Let’s neutralise the Right’s narrative by further endorsing and legitimising it”.
Blue Labour, a highly corrosive substance. Always wear gloves, and ensure all windows are open.
A few abusers in farage’s circle that he is happy to defend. A fascist thinking of a bung to a bloke that says billionaires should keep out of UK politics (until the bung arrives, kerching). Lot of really far right types flocked to the party last election.
Wonder why.
Labour need to call this stain out and the press need to ask the questions. Every time farage gets a telling question he starts to shout. Big tell there that he cannot answer.
I think Labour are quite busy with stains of their own at the moment.
Would calling out apply to the European Social Group that have just been fined by EU regulator for providing a donation to the Labour affiliated Fabian Society, the Electoral Commission are now looking at it as it may contravene UK donation laws.
The problem is all of the parties have skeletons in that cupboard.
I remember seeing a poll a few months back – the biggest reason people support Reform is because they are not Labour or Tory, and that they provide a ‘change’. So satisfaction with Labour/Tories was quite low. Immigration was second or third on the list. It was the change people wanted to see. Voters didn’t really care about quality of candidates, brexit, or the cult of Farage, right wing views etc – in fact Farage is not so popular with their voters! Personally, I think the only way to countenance these types of parties is to make it clear they… Read more »
Labour are in government purely because they aren’t the Torys: Reform are in ascendence for completely different reasons.