Latest news with #LabourRedWallGroup
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Act now to win back Red Wall voters, Labour MPs say
A group of around 45 Labour MPs have called on the government to "act now" to win back voters in northern England and the Midlands. The Labour Red Wall Group, which represents areas which have traditionally supported the party, said it was not "weak" to respond to issues raised by the public, including concern over axing winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners. Calls to rethink the move and other policies including cuts to disability benefits have been growing after a disastrous set of local election results for Labour last week. On Tuesday the government insisted it would not reverse the winter fuel cuts and it would not be "blown off course" by the "disappointing" results. Labour lost two-thirds of the seats it was defending in council elections across England, as well as a by-election in Runcorn and Helsby. Reform UK overturned a majority of nearly 15,000 to take the Cheshire seat by just six votes. In areas like Durham and Doncaster, Labour lost seats to Reform, allowing Nigel Farage's party to take control of the council. On the left, the party also shed votes to the Greens. However, Reform, which also seized control of eight councils from the Conservatives, was the big winner of the night and the results have intensified calls for the government to focus on the threat from the party. In a statement the Red Wall Group, led by Jo White, the MP for Bassetlaw in Nottinghamshire, said that in the results "our voters told us loudly and clearly that we have not met their expectations". They said Sir Keir Starmer's response that he would "go further and faster" in delivering his plans had "fallen on deaf ears". "Responding to the issues raised by our constituents, including on winter fuel, isn't weak it takes us to a position of strength," the statement added. "[The prime minister] must now break the disconnect between Westminster and the Red Wall areas." The group also called for the government to "breakaway from Treasury orthodoxy" to ensure post-industrial towns "get the investment we desperately need". "Labour cannot afford to lose the Red Wall again as it reopens the route to a future of opposition and an existential crisis. Without Red Wall constituencies we are not the Labour Party," they said. "The government has to act now before it's too late." Responding to the local election results over the weekend, Sir Keir said he shared the "fury" felt by voters turning away from the major parties. The PM insisted he would "go further and faster" in delivering Labour's promises to improve public services, as well as tackle immigration and cost-of-living pressures. [BBC] Sign up for our Politics Essential newsletter to keep up with the inner workings of Westminster and beyond.
The Guardian
08-04-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Labour MPs launch campaign to introduce digital IDs
More than 40 Labour MPs from three influential backbench groups have called on ministers to introduce digital IDs, which they claim would boost productivity in delivering public services and crack down on illegal employment. The open letter – organised by the Rother Valley MP, Jake Richards – is signed by the co-chairs of the Labour Growth Group, Chris Curtis and Lola McEvoy, as well as Jo White, who convenes the Labour Red Wall Group. Other signatories include Dan Carden and Jonathan Brash, members of the Blue Labour group of socially conservative MPs. The letter, which has been shared with the Home Office, Cabinet Office and Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, is also signed by some of the most prominent names in the 2024 intake, including MPs Polly Billington, Jess Asato, Mike Tapp, Joe Powell and Emily Darlington. Richards has been an outspoken advocate in parliament for the party to do more to tackle the threat of Reform and crack down on illegal migration. The letter calls on the government to revive the idea of ID cards – a hugely controversial policy proposal during Tony Blair's era – but said digital IDs were the right route for the modern economy. It said it would mean that citizens could 'engage with the state more seamlessly', including booking GP appointments, renewing passports or paying tax. 'It is absurd in the 21st century our NHS relies on a physical red book to monitor the health of newborn babies,' the letter says. It said it would meet the government's objections of making the state more efficient and crack down on 'off-the-books employment, boost lagging public sector productivity, and provide faster, more efficient access to healthcare, welfare and public services'. Privacy groups are likely to raise alarm at the proposals but the letter claims public polling is in favour of an ID system used in countries such as Estonia, India and members of the EU. 'Without a gear-shift in this area, we will be in danger of looking back wistfully at a golden, missed opportunity', it says. The intervention is the first coordinated action of the three major Labour backbench groups. A working group on the issue, which includes signatories of the letter, and members of all three groups, will be led by Richards and McEvoy. Launching the campaign, Richards said: 'We know a joined-up digital ID can drive huge gains in public sector productivity, unlock innovation and make it harder for those entering the country illegally to access work or public services. 'This is the kind of transformative, common-sense change voters across the UK are crying out for but government has got to move rapidly if we're going to make it a reality. 'Delivering digital ID is the first step in placing our focus on an agenda of rights and responsibilities – across law and order, public services, immigration and welfare. The policy imperative alone is vital but there is also a powerful political case to be built around it.'
