A columnist has urged Labour and Andy Burnham to offer hope at next week's party conference, arguing that the right's constant doom-mongering about Britain is turning voters off. The piece notes that Reform has fallen to third place in the polls, its lowest popularity rating for 18 months, partly because people can only take so much negativity.
Right-wing figures accused of pessimism
The article criticises figures such as Nigel Farage, who told Washington's House Judiciary Committee that Britain had “become North Korea”, and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who earlier this year said the UK economy was unsustainable because Britain had been “colonised by immigrants”. It argues that such pessimism, echoed by Kemi Badenoch's Tories and their media cheerleaders, offers a big opportunity for Labour.
Burnham's poll lead
Reform lost its lead in the polls when Burnham took office, and he has now extended Labour's advantage over Farage's party to four percentage points. The main reason, the column suggests, is that he offers hope of a better country for all, not just one where the rich get richer and the weak go to the wall along with public services.
A call for an optimistic vision
At next week's Labour conference, Burnham needs to offer honesty on topics like welfare, illegal immigration, defence and job creation, then present an optimistic vision. The article concludes by quoting Nelson Mandela: “may your choices reflect your hopes not your fears”, and says that as the right plays on fear, Labour needs to show why we should choose hope.
