Rishi Sunak might have been too scared to put his name on the ballot this week, but voters sent him a clear message in the local elections anyway. Across the country, people turned out to vote for change – from the manufacturing heartlands of Derby to industrial Redditch and Thurrock in Essex. In Aldershot, home of the British army, Labour won Rushmoor borough council, ending 24 years of Tory rule. Ten more police and crime commissioners – which, as a former chief prosecutor, makes me incredibly proud. And in York and North Yorkshire, the first Labour mayor, in the prime minister’s back garden. Victories in traditional Tory territory across the country are important to me. It’s not just about the numbers, though of course they matter: it’s the choice of the electorate to turn their back on 14 years of decline and division, and embrace national renewal with Labour. My determination is for a government that serves, brings people together with a national project for everyone who wants their country to improve and succeed. That’s why when I set about changing the Labour party, it was change with a purpose: putting the Labour party back in the service of working people. Not just Labour voters, not just former Labour voters, not just 2019 switchers. No, my changed party is for anyone who loves this country, aspires for themselves and their family, and knows we can all do better than this. Winning the trust of people across past divides, such as leave and remain, or yes and no in Scotland, is vital. Our country should demand a brighter future, and it’s only by coming together that we can secure it.
Every day the prime minister wastes pursuing culture wars and pitting one group against another not only perpetuates division but is hard evidence of a government not focused on the challenges of the people it was elected to serve. Even now, instead of reflecting on the message the people have sent, the prime minister is insisting that his plan is working, that he’s right and that the voters are wrong. For me, that shows perfectly the difference between us. It’s no secret that in 2021 we had a disappointing result in Hartlepool. But instead of sticking our fingers in our ears and loudly insisting the voters were wrong, we listened. We learned. And this week Hartlepool put trust in the party once more, and Labour gained the council. Tragically, Britain is now the victim of a zombie government, stuck in purgatory with a prime minister who won’t call an election he fears he’ll lose, but can’t give this country the change it deserves. Dragging this out longer will only cause more damage, decline and drift. Whichever political party you belong to or support, what is unforgivable is leaving your country after a period in government in a worse state than when you found it. It’s time for him to put the country first and call an election. Labour is on the starting line, raring to go and itching to implement our plan for a decade of national renewal. These elections showed more people are joining our mission to change the country as well. But we know the bigger test is yet to come. Not a single vote in the general election has been cast and we don’t know when Sunak will find the bottle to call it. We will work night and day until then to earn your vote so we can turn the page on this decade of decline, close the door on Tory chaos and give Britain the hope and future it deserves.