Labour Party need a ‘new generation’ says Alan Milburn

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The Labour Party could cut its losses and focus on the cities where it has been successful, in the process rejecting its “blue collar workers”, Express.co.uk was told. It comes as the party continues in a crisis of identity following its election drubbing across England. Local councils around the country turned their backs on Labour, the party losing overall control of many regions for the first time in a century.

In Hartlepool, where a by-election had been called earlier this year, Sir Keir Starmer’s chosen candidate – an arch Remainer – was decisively rejected by an electorate that voted 70 percent to leave the EU.

The Labour leader moved to reshuffle his Shadow Cabinet in a bid to “refresh” the party’s direction, yet faced backlash for sacking figures like Ms Rayner.

Jon Cruddas, the Labour MP for Dagenham and Rainham, entertained the idea that the party might now need to focus on the cities, the metropolitan areas and the newly acquired middle class and younger voters should it want to stand a chance of electoral success in the future.

Speaking during a seminar with Policy Exchange this month, he said he believed it could be the “most rational move for Labour,” but that it made him feel “really uncomfortable”.

Paul Embery argued that while Mr Cruddas won’t be one of the Labour members to seriously back this route, there will be figures that want to shed themselves of their historic ties to Britain’s working class.

He told Express.co.uk: “I’m sure there are some people in the Labour Party who would articulate a strategy that says, ‘Actually, forget about the blue collar vote.

“‘These people are gone forever, we don’t need to bother, and actually they’re all a bit reactionary; we don’t really want to represent those people.

“‘We need to widen our appeal among the young, the metropolitan, the liberals, the greens, the pro-EU people, the graduates, and that will be enough to get Labour over the line.'”

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Yet, he said this would unlikely be an effective strategy, and added: “To stand the best chance of winning Labour needs to build that coalition again including working class, blue collar supporters.

“Even if that was possible as an electoral strategy, it would completely betray Labour’s reason for existing in the first place: It was set up to represent disadvantaged communities, the poorest people in our communities, people in post-industrial and provincial Britain.

“And if it suddenly decides it can do without those people then it’s not the Labour Party that was created asunder years ago to serve the interests of those people.”

As well as Ms Rayner, Sir Keir also sought to root out some further remnants of the Jeremy Corbyn years.

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He deposed Anneliese Dodds of her post of Shadow Chancellor.

He also sacked the chief whip, Nick Brown, a veteran who served under Mr Corbyn and Gordon Brown.

Rachel Reeves, who is viewed as Sir Keir’s closest Shadow Cabinet ally, was promoted to Shadow Chancellor.

Many noted this appeared to confirm his desire to move towards the centre-ground.

Ms Reeves previously attracted criticism after she said Labour would be tougher than the Tories when it comes to slashing the benefits bill.

Speaking in an interview in 2013 when she was Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, she said: “Nobody should be under any illusions that they are going to be able to live a life on benefits under a Labour government.

“If you can work you should be working, and under our compulsory jobs guarantee if you refuse that job you forgo your benefits, and that is really important.”

Meanwhile, former Labour leader and Prime Minister Tony Blair has said the party needs “total deconstruction and reconstruction” to win back power.

Writing in The New Statesman, Mr Blair praised Sir Keir as an “intelligent, capable [and] moderate-minded” person.

He warned that a new leader would not achieve “the miracle renaissance” Labour is looking for, however.

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