Former transport secretary Louise Haigh has urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to avoid a “simplistic and naive” response by shifting to the right following Reform UK’s gains in the local elections. In her first interview since leaving the cabinet, Haigh called on Labour to “pick some battles” with the right, arguing that asking progressive voters to back the party solely to keep Nigel Farage out of power would not suffice.
Haigh, a prominent figure on Labour’s “soft left,” criticised the party for “shying away from the battles that we need to have.” She said that “conflict clarifies whose side you’re on” and that the current focus on delivery, while necessary, is “not sufficient.” She urged the government to adopt “clarifying language” and demonstrate through its actions which side it is on.
Haigh also predicted that Chancellor Rachel Reeves would “inevitably” have to raise taxes later this year to meet fiscal rules and avoid further unpopular spending cuts. Her comments come amid internal Labour divisions over how to counter Reform UK, which won control of 10 councils, over 670 council seats, and two mayoralties in the local elections.
While some Labour MPs, such as Jo White, have called for a more decisive domestic policy approach, others like Clive Efford have dismissed the idea that the public wants “more of the same.” Health Secretary Wes Streeting defended the government’s record, saying it cannot “turn around a country in nine months.”
Haigh warned that Labour must maintain the broad coalition of voters that secured its 2024 victory, from leftwing progressives to social conservatives. She cautioned against prioritising Reform-inclined voters at the expense of the left, noting that a poll found 43% of Labour 2024 voters would consider voting Green and 40% Liberal Democrat, while only 9% would consider Reform.
