A group of Labour MPs is calling for a stronger message on immigration and more investment from the government to head off the electoral threat of Reform UK. The Red Wall group has requested a meeting with Sir Keir Starmer. Some of its 40 members represent seats in the north of England and Midlands which were once Labour heartlands but where first the Conservatives, and now Reform, have been gaining ground. A recent YouGov opinion poll has suggested Nigel Farage’s party is one point ahead of Labour in voting intentions. The Red Wall group wants to see the government shout more loudly about what it has been doing to remove illegal immigrants but they also want to see more investment in northern England to shore up support. The group’s convenor, Bassetlaw MP Jo White, has also called for the introduction of ID cards. Labour Together, an influential think tank which helped Sir Keir win his party’s leadership, is working with the group. Its chief executive, Jonathan Ashworth, himself a former MP and shadow minister, told the BBC the organisation was re-orienting its efforts to take on the threat of Reform and was working closely with Red Wall MPs. The group’s own research suggests that Nigel Farage’s party is particularly vulnerable on health policy and the future of the NHS. Reform won just five seats at the general election last year but came second in 98 constituencies, including 89 Labour seats. The Red Wall caucus wants more investment in infrastructure for the north of England, where Reform was ahead of the Tories in dozens of seats last year.
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