Jarvis: We must tackle UKIP

LEADING Labour MP Dan Jarvis today urges the party to fight UKIP head on - or face defeat in the 2020 general election.

The Shadow Justice Minister, a decorated former Army officer, said there are “no quick fixes for stemming the rising tide” of Nigel Farage’s anti-EU party.

Mr Jarvis, 42, toured constituencies where UKIP cost the party vital votes in May.

He said in a report: “Many people have turned to UKIP due to long-held frustrations with Labour and the wider political establishment. There is little evidence to suggest they will return swiftly or easily.

“The challenge is to build an effective response based on listening and genuine engagement.”

His Reconnecting Labour report will be handed to the party’s Learning the Lessons Task Force.