Kirsty Major’s article on Labour’s struggle to connect with voters in traditionally “safe seat” areas highlights a wider challenge facing centrist and left parties – winning hearts as well as minds (I went home, to one of Labour’s safest seats, and it felt like a newly minted Reform constituency, 16 September). While Reform UK and other populist movements use simple, more direct and emotionally charged messaging that thrives on social media, Labour continues to rely on complex, policy-driven narratives.
The sense of hope or change that animated Labour’s general election campaign quickly evaporated in the face of cuts to the winter fuel allowance and disability benefits. Meanwhile, rising inequality, stagnant wages, job insecurity and the lasting effects of successive financial and public health crises have eroded trust in parties seen as failing to deliver economic stability, growth and meaningful job creation. The labour market is also shifting rapidly, leaving many workers without the upskilling needed to adapt.
Reform UK has capitalised on this disillusionment by playing the underdog card, pushing a polarising “us versus them” narrative that resonates powerfully with those who feel left behind. Populists further amplify anxieties over migration, national identity and rapid social change – issues that Labour is clearly struggling to address with conviction.
To win back trust, Labour must go beyond policy detail. People want purpose, dignity and hope. That means crafting a message that inspires while still being grounded in facts and critical thinking. Britain deserves better than the populist sensationalism that is currently dominating debate. What is needed is leadership that speaks to values, restores belief in politics and offers a genuine vision of a fairer future.
Cyril Haessig
Godalming, Surrey
• Kirsty Major is spot-on in her article on Knowsley. I live in the south Wales valleys and can easily see Reform UK taking valley seats should a parliamentary byelection occur. The seat neighbouring me, Caerphilly, is holding a byelection for the Senedd in Cardiff in October, and the feeling is that Reform will take it. If it does, it could lead to Reform being the biggest party in the Senedd after the 2026 election.
Major is right about the growth of Reform in poor areas, and unless Labour does something quickly, its death knell is sounding.
Adrian Dumphy
Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf
• Surely the way to stop Labour’s existential decline is to offer what people voted for: a Labour government with a workable vision of what it can achieve.
What Labour has is a sycophantic cabinet supporting a prime minister lacking political nous, a leader who curtailed job opportunities, withdrew benefits from a section of disabled claimants, allowed Reform UK’s clamour on immigrants to colour his response and has shown a more positive attitude to Israel than to Palestine. He seems complacent with his vision, despite his gloom and doom communications.
What a waste of a Labour party elected with an incredible majority, a majority that will never come again.
Dr Margaret Martlew
Sheffield
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