Time for listening and learning

The results from the 12 December election were a terrible disappointment to my Labour colleagues and myself. We worked extremely diligently to get our hardworking MP, Lisa Forbes, reelected, and unfortunately, we came up short.

I wish Paul Bristow every success in his new role; I hope that his words on the campaign trail about getting things done for Peterborough don’t prove to be mere rhetoric.

I believe that there are a number of reasons why Labour achieved its worst result since 1935. First, there was the issue of Brexit: a person may respect you for taking a contrary stand to what they believe, so long as you are clear about it. However, no one likes equivocation; as sensible as the policy was to try to find a middle way to appeal to both Leavers and Remainers, the end result did not come across clearly to the electorate.

I believe also the messaging has a role to play in this; for example, as much as we would like to bring rail back into public hands, if that one promise is obscured by too many others, then it becomes very difficult to communicate effectively. Core messaging lay in knowing what to prioritise, in order to convey the important messages. We tried to cram too much in; we should have been more decisive.

I also believe that there is a gap, a disconnect, a hole. The Labour Group in Peterborough makes a priority of listening to our constituents via street surgeries. We learn a great deal each time we go out. It also proves that we are not disconnected from our neighbours’ concerns; we are hardwired into them. Our local policies are formed on that basis.

Can I say, hand on heart, that this has been consistently done across the country?

Apparently not. But I believe that as a party, our path back lies in listening. It’s not just about Brexit; apparently that issue has been decided for the foreseeable future. It is also on the question of “What about tomorrow?”

Brexit is simply not going to deliver the money for the NHS that was initially promised. It is unlikely to deliver the prosperity and growth that the Prime Minister says it will. I believe most people know this, but Brexit became a cultural issue as well as a political and economic one; these concerns, I believe, will re-emerge once we have gone through the catharsis of departure.

It has already been reported that Mr Johnson has less to spend than he thinks. Then what?

It is up to Labour to keep listening and learning, and to build a solid, credible alternative for a post-Brexit Britain. In Peterborough, we have listened and learned; we will keep doing so.

I hope that we can embed this approach elsewhere, so that one day Labour will ride a wave of hope, with transformative practical policies in hand, all the way to 10 Downing Street.