As the inquest into recent election outcomes unfolds, Sir Keir Starmer recognizes the lessons to be gleaned from these results. Voter discontent with the Conservative's performance surfaces amidst the resurgence of Nigel Farage and Reform UK. Labour's response focuses on local issues, marginalizing previous narratives about a classless Britain. Class dynamics resurface as crucial determinants, overshadowing identity politics, with pressing matters like immigration and the cost of living taking center stage. The article reflects on the historical context of class in British politics, especially since Blair’s era, signaling a pivotal shift back to socioeconomic concerns.
Labour's response to losing the Runcorn and Helsby byelection and almost 200 local council seats was to announce extra funding to spruce up GP surgeries and to hint at a crackdown on student visa applications.
A quarter of a century ago, Tony Blair championed the idea of a classless Britain in which the old disputes between capital and labour would be a thing of the past.
The issues that exercise working-class Britain - immigration, the NHS and the cost of living - are central to politics. For now at least, the politics of class trump the politics of identity.
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