“If Labour gets this wrong, the consequences could be historic. The danger of Nigel Farage and his Trump-style politics entering Downing Street is now real.”
By Imran Hussain MP
The recent local election results were devastating for Labour.
Across the country, including here in Bradford, voters delivered a blunt warning – and we cannot afford to ignore it, spin it away or pretend it was simply mid-term frustration. Something much deeper is happening in British politics.
It’s always hard to see good Labour representatives lose their seats. But the truth is that many decent Labour councillors paid the price for political failures made nationally.
The hope millions placed in Labour to deliver meaningful change has been badly damaged. Too many former Labour voters no longer feel the party is standing firmly enough on their side or reflecting the values that brought generations of working people to Labour in the first place.
That frustration is now reshaping politics.
Reform has surged in areas where Labour should have been strongest. But we should properly understand what is happening here. Labour’s problem is not simply that huge numbers of people are directly switching from Labour to Reform. In many places, Labour is also losing progressive voters to parties on the left – or losing them from politics altogether through disillusionment and abstention. That fragmentation then creates the conditions for Reform to come through the middle and win.
That is why trying to “out-Reform Reform” would be a catastrophic mistake.
We will not defeat Nigel Farage by imitating his politics or chasing his rhetoric. We stop Reform by offering something better — a serious programme rooted in traditional Labour values and focused relentlessly on improving people’s lives.
People wanted lower bills, secure work, properly funded public services and a fairer economy. They wanted a government that visibly stood up for ordinary working people after years of Conservative decline. Too many people do not feel that promise has been delivered.
Communities like Bradford are still facing rising living costs, deep inequality and overstretched public services. Families are struggling, and many feel politics simply no longer listens to them.
That creates space for anger, division and dangerous politics.
And we should be honest about the kind of politics Reform is increasingly associated with.
Across the country, Reform candidates have repeatedly been exposed for racist, inflammatory and extremist comments. Here in Bradford, Daniel Devaney was elected to the council after it emerged that he had made vile comments about Muslims, including describing them as “pure scum” and saying they should be “blasted off the face of the earth.”
That should shame anyone who cares about the reputation and future of my city.
Bradford is a place where people of different backgrounds have lived alongside one another for generations. It is a city built on community, solidarity and coexistence. That kind of rhetoric has no place here.
And the situation has only become more absurd and shambolic since the election. Reform figures have reportedly now said Devaney is “not a Reform councillor” despite him being elected as one of their representatives and topping the poll in his ward. Voters are left with the bizarre spectacle of a party trying to distance itself from someone it selected, defended and allowed to remain on the ballot paper.
This chaos is not limited to Bradford. Since the local elections, Reform has lost 22 councillors and counting in the weeks following the local elections. Their councillors have already resigned, defected, been suspended or forced out following allegations involving racist, anti-Muslim and extremist comments.
One newly elected councillor resigned after racist posts referring to white people as “the master race” resurfaced. Another was suspended after saying Nigerian residents should be “melted down to fill potholes.” Others have faced suspension over anti-Muslim and antisemitic posts that were reportedly known about before polling day. It paints the picture of a party that appears incapable of basic vetting, discipline or political seriousness.
That does not demonstrate strength or seriousness. It exposes a profound failure of judgment.
But this issue goes beyond one councillor or one ward.
It reflects a wider toxic political culture that is becoming increasingly normalised in parts of British politics – a culture that fuels hatred, scapegoating and division.
Language matters. Repeated inflammatory rhetoric creates a hostile environment with real-world consequences. We are seeing rising attacks on mosques, growing levels of anti-Muslim hatred and communities increasingly feeling unsafe.
Muslim communities deserve safety, dignity and the freedom to live without fear. Full stop.
Britain is better than this.
But Labour cannot effectively challenge that toxic politics unless we are prepared to change course ourselves.
The results we have seen should be a moment of serious reflection for the Labour Party. They raise unavoidable questions about leadership, direction and political strategy.
These elections have made one thing increasingly clear: unless Labour changes direction politically, the crisis will deepen.
What matters now is not personalities or factional manoeuvring. It is whether Labour reconnects with the people it was founded to represent.
That means returning to core Labour values — standing unapologetically for working people, tackling inequality, investing in public services, building council homes, improving living standards and confronting an economy that too often works for the wealthy and powerful rather than ordinary families. We must also stand up against injustice on the international stage and protect the international rules-based order.
It also means rebuilding democracy and openness inside the Labour Party itself. Too often, internal debate has been shut down instead of encouraged. Too many members, councillors and activists feel alienated rather than listened to. Labour must become a broader, more democratic movement again if it is going to rebuild trust across the country.
Because this is now about something bigger than one difficult set of election results.
If Labour gets this wrong, the consequences could be historic. The danger of Nigel Farage and his Trump-style politics entering Downing Street is now real.
And preventing that must become the defining political task of the years ahead.
- Imran Hussain MP is the MP for Bradford East. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter/X and TikTok.
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