Westminster often ‘doesn't connect' with voters, says Andy Burnham
The Labour Party came to power last July promising a 'decade of national renewal'.
But in the seven months since their landslide election victory, there's been mixed progress on that pledge. There have been advances on workers' rights, and the setting up of GB Energy – but big questions over the government's climate and welfare plans. Poll numbers have declined dramatically, and the government is now pondering major u-turns on benefits to try and combat the rise of Reform UK.
So what does that decade of renewal look like, and how do they get voters back on side?
We spoke to Andy Burnham, the Labour mayor for Greater Manchester, who's been taking part in a conference today in London, and asked first off why Reform is doing so well?
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The National
44 minutes ago
- The National
Hamilton by-election campaign enters final days
Voters in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse will go to the polls on Thursday June 5 to elect Holyrood's newest MSP, after the sad passing of SNP minister Christina McKelvie earlier this year. The looming vote saw the streets of the constituency flooded with activists from various political parties over the weekend, and with Farage himself expected to visit Hamilton in the days before the polls open. The battle for the constituency was initially thought to be a tight race between the SNP and Labour, but fears are growing that Reform UK may overtake Labour and come second. READ MORE: Scottish independence support at 58 per cent if Nigel Farage becomes PM The SNP insisted their priorities were 'miles apart' from those of Farage's party, while Labour attacked the SNP's record. Swinney said: 'On the final week of campaigning in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, it's clear which party is on Scotland's side. 'Free prescriptions, free tuition and free bus travel for 2.3 million people across Scotland - just a few SNP policies that are supporting families across Scotland and delivering for the next generation.' The First Minister added: 'Things remain tough for too many families who feel let down by Labour - who have given up in this campaign - and the deeply concerning rise in support for Farage. (Image: Mike Boyd/PA) 'Be in no doubt, Nigel Farage doesn't care about Scotland. He poses a threat to our values and must be stopped, and only the SNP can do that. 'In this by-election, the SNP is the only party investing in Scotland's future, delivering for families and confronting Farage. On Thursday, vote SNP to stop Farage.' The SNP's candidate Katy Loudon added: 'They [voters] have been let down by a Labour Party that has lost its way and are now witnessing the worrying rise of Farage, who does not understand or care about them. 'This Thursday, voters across this constituency have the opportunity to reject Reform UK's rhetoric and vote SNP, for an MSP that will always put them first.' Meanwhile, Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie urged voters to 'chart a new direction for the whole of Scotland'. READ MORE: Scotland's oil profits 'must not be used to exploit citizens in Gaza' It comes after the party's candidate Davy Russell refused to take part in various debates and hustings. 'After almost two decades in charge, the SNP has left public services at breaking point – almost one in six Scots are on an NHS waiting list, violence is rife in our schools, and high streets across Scotland are struggling,' she said. 'We cannot risk a third decade of SNP government and only Scottish Labour can beat them. 'Ignore the desperate spin of Reform and the SNP – this by-election is a direct fight between Scottish Labour and the SNP." It comes after Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar branded Farage a 'poisonous man' amid a row over a 'racist' advert. Reform UK's candidate Ross Lambie posted a photograph of himself out chapping doors on Sunday. He wrote in an earlier post: 'You can see clearly here that our message is reaching all voters, including former SNP voters who are #scunnered with 18 years of failure. (Image: PA) 'Vote @ReformUKScot on the 5th of June to take our country back from these charlatans.' Collette Bradley, the Scottish Socialist Party's candidate, hit out at Labour for 'opening the door' to Farage's party by 'betraying the working class'. 'We don't want to exaggerate and reinforce Reform's own unsubstantiated claims of being on the verge of winning, but a frightening minority have been conned into thinking Reform UK is an alternative to Labour's betrayal,' she said. 'In fact, Farage and his far-right outfit are a bunch of former Tories, part of the Establishment, who want to bring back Thatcherism and its vicious, anti-working-class measures, to an area devastated by the original Maggie Thatcher's class war on mining communities and other workers. READ MORE: Scots minister hits back at Defence Secretary 'student union politics' jibe 'The Scottish Socialist Party have warned people that we should tax the millionaires - not vote for them!' The Scottish Tories candidate Richard Nelson, who claimed the Orange Order is 'not divisive', posted on his Facebook page that the party were having 'one last push' on Saturday evening. He was photographed with former deputy leader Meghan Gallagher MSP and former leader Jackson Carlaw, as well as a small group of other party activists.
Scotsman
an hour ago
- Scotsman
Nigel Farage's Reform UK continues to outspend rivals in online by-election battle
Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Reform is continuing to outspend Scotland's main political parties as part of its social media push ahead of this week's Holyrood by-election in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, according to an analysis by The Scotsman. Nigel Farage's party has heavily backed its contentious online campaign to seize the seat formerly held by the late Christine McKelvie, spending up to £20,000 on digital ads across Facebook and Instagram. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad While no other party has come close to matching Reform's outlay on Meta ads, Scottish Labour has focused its efforts elsewhere, spending up to £18,000 on YouTube and Google ads. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage | PA Since Reform's contentious ad began running on Meta's platforms on 12 May, the party's spending on it has reached between £15,000 and £20,000, up from an estimated £9,000 to £10,000 a week ago. For that outlay, its message attacking Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, which targets voters in Hamilton and Larkhall, has received between 800,000 and 900,000 impressions. The ad in question, which claims Mr Sarwar will 'prioritise the Pakistani community,' has been the subject of cross-party condemnation, with Scottish Labour and the SNP making formal complaints to Meta, Facebook's parent company, about the video. Both have called it racist. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Kate Dommet, a professor in digital politics at the University of Sheffield, told The Scotsman that Reform's activities on Facebook were not surprising, pointing out that compared to its electoral rivals, it lacked traditional campaign infrastructure. Compared to the other mainstream Scottish political parties, the SNP has spent the most on Meta ads ahead of Thursday's by-election, having ramped up its digital campaign in recent days. However, the overall figure still lags behind that incurred by Mr Farage's party. According to the Meta ad library, the party ran 15 ads throughout May promoting its candidate, Katy Loudon, 13 of which went live last Friday. Its total outlay stands at around £4,700 to £6,000. By contrast, a Scottish Conservative Meta ad campaign promoting its candidate, Richard Nelson, has been backed by a spend of just £100 to £199, according to the site. The ad, which has run across both Facebook and Instagram, has garnered an estimated 8,000 to 9,000 impressions. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Scottish Labour has not run any political ads on Meta dedicated to the Hamilton by-election, instead spending between £1,500 and £1,900 on two other adverts - one focused on the SNP's record on the NHS, the other on a West Dunbartonshire Council by-election that was won by the SNP, with Reform pipping Scottish Labour to second. The Scottish Greens have spent less than £300 on Meta ads this month, although none of them specifically focused on the by-election, while the Scottish Liberal Democrats have not run any ads on Meta since July 2024. The picture is decidedly different when it comes to the parties' use of Google ads, which take the form of sponsored links on search engines and advertisements running on YouTube. Scottish Labour launched 67 such ads throughout May, spending around £14,700 to £18,100, according to the Google ads transparency centre. Its two most recent video ads, which warn that a vote for Reform helps the SNP, cost the party between £2,000 and £3,000, and were shown hundreds of thousands of times on YouTube. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The SNP has run three YouTube ads promoting Ms Loudon's candidacy at an overall cost of between £2,750 and £3,800. Neither Reform nor any of the other parties contesting the by-election spent on Google ads. Mr Farage is expected to visit Aberdeen and Hamilton today as the by-election campaign enters its final days. First Minister John Swinney said the Reform leader 'doesn't care about Scotland', adding: 'He poses a threat to our values and must be stopped, and only the SNP can do that. In this by-election, the SNP is the only party investing in Scotland's future, delivering for families and confronting Farage.' Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said the by election is 'a chance to call time on SNP failure and chart a new direction for the whole of Scotland'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad She added: 'Ignore the desperate spin of Reform and the SNP – this by-election is a direct fight between Scottish Labour and the SNP. We have three days to put this failing SNP government on notice and start the journey towards a better future for Scotland.' Elsewhere, Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay said he wanted to see the SNP out of power at next year's Holyrood election for the 'collective good of society'. Speaking to Holyrood magazine, the former journalist insisted he would 'never, ever work with the SNP' – but said it would be 'silly to say no' to potential deals with either Labour or the Liberal Democrats. 'Despite John Swinney having a spring in his step and this sudden belief that he's going to hang about for a decade, we need to get them out for the collective good of society, we need to get the SNP out of power,' Mr Findlay said. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He criticised the SNP's handling of government finances, accusing the party of 'gargantuan' waste. He said: 'The mis-spending in Scotland is utterly ridiculous and I think any serious political party, any credible government, will be able to identify that and do something about it.
Scotsman
an hour ago
- Scotsman
Why those in politics for right reasons must make common cause against Reform UK
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... More than half a century after Hamilton was the scene of a by-election which shook British politics to the core and ushered in a new era, it may be about to do it again. But this time the SNP are the sitting tenants under fire in Thursday's Scottish Parliamentary by-election. This part of Lanarkshire was once, and expected to be again, a Labour heartland. Then Reform released their attack ad on Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and the mood shifted. There is so much concern over what the implications of a Reform victory might be that we are seeing an unprecedented unity of opinion amongst all other political parties. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad My own Liberal Democrats, SNP and Greens lined up this week to hit back at the attack on Sarwar. But agreeing the danger exists will not see it off. That will take a much improved, more positive approach and a recognition that the root of the dissatisfaction which has propelled Reform's rise lies with us. The political establishment. Nigel Farage's Reform UK party are confident of a good result in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell) | Getty Images Mud-slinging For the past decade or so, we have indulged in bitter bipartisan disputes. First over Scottish independence and then Brexit. Add to that the mud-slinging and name-calling over Partygate, Liz Truss' disastrous premiership and now a Labour government accused of just adopting much of the Tories' policy playbook, and it's not a healthy-looking picture. Where are the solutions? What reassurances are being offered to parents worried about their children's education and future prospects? Or to middle-aged offspring worried about what medical and social care will be available to support their ageing parents? That is not to criticise those whose frustrations have prompted them to look for something new. No, my concern is with those who are seeking to earn their trust and how they intend to use it. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad So much of what we have seen and heard from Reform sets all my alarm bells ringing. The attack on Sarwar reminded me of the worst days of the sectarian divisions that used to blight much of central Scotland. A country at a crossroads Reform Party chairman Zia Yusuf announced they would reduce immigration to zero, and encourage those who are fertile to have children to replace the loss. Many of the social media comments and speeches of its leadership raise fears that we may be heading down the same road as America and some of mainland Europe. The country is at a crossroads, but we will not tackle it by playing Reform's game in a race to the bottom. If people feel politics isn't working for them, then we need to prove that, as politicians, we are. We shouldn't change our ideals or preach, but prove we are prepared to work with others, and leave no stone unturned for people who need us. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad There is common ground among politicians who got into politics for the right reason and who want to protect democracy and human rights. We will not blame 'the other'. We need to find that common purpose with our colleagues, because if we don't, right-wing and anti-democratic forces will divide us, pit us against each other and we will lose. If we are not careful, Hamilton may be just the beginning of a story already told.
