Labour to pump hundreds of millions of pounds into 'left behind' areas where Reform won councils at local elections to see off Farage threat
Labour is to pump hundreds of millions of pounds into 'left behind' areas of the country that have swung behind Reform in a bid to tackle the popularity of Nigel Farage.
Ministers are planning action as Sir Keir Starmer fights off a rebellion against his effort to regain the upper hand over Reform, which has made gains in many former Labour heartlands.
Sarah Pochin took Runcorn & Helsby, a former Labour save seat, and Reform also pushed Labour close in several mayoral elections, including North of Tyne and West of England.
The PM has launched a clampdown on immigration this week which used language about Britons being 'strangers in their own land'.
Now the Times reports ministers will turn their attention to regeneration projects spanning years.
Senior figures are to act on a report by the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods, which identified more than 600 'mission critical neighbourhoods', saying that 'without improvements in these places, the government's mission agenda will be mission impossible'.
In its report, released today, its chairwoman, Labour peer Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top, wrote: 'Neglect, drift and decline are turning these places into a breeding ground for political disaffection, as we saw in the local elections earlier this month.
'We have ignored these places for too long and are now reaping the costs of that. This must end.'
Jo Platt, the Labour MP for Leigh and Atherton, told the Times: 'Reform came second to Labour in many constituencies like mine.
'What we saw in Runcorn is a reminder that shifts in support across the red wall are possible. Visible decline is pushing people towards alternatives like Reform.
'With the right investment, we can begin to turn things around and demonstrate real progress before the next general election.'
This came as Nigel Farage praised the Prime Minister's speech which set out plans to crack down on migration, and claimed Sir Keir is 'learning a great deal' from Reform UK.
The Reform UK leader said his party 'very much enjoyed' the speech the PM gave on Monday.
He said: 'We at Reform, a party that is alive and kicking, very much enjoyed your speech on Monday, you seem to be learning a very great deal from us. Could I encourage you please to go further, as a matter of national security?
'Does the Prime Minister agree, now is the time to declare the situation in the English Channel as a national security emergency?'
The Prime Minister replied: 'The situation is serious, the last government lost control of the borders.'
He added: 'The (Border Security, Asylum and Immigration) Bill is the first Bill to give terrorism-like powers to law enforcement, precisely so that we can get in before the crimes are committed, before people get to this country.
'This is the most far-reaching provision ever for law enforcement to defend and secure our borders, and that's why it is extraordinary that he, of all people, voted against it.'
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