Double down on strong conference themes of good jobs, security and value for money’, new Renaissance report advises Labour

A new report by Renaissance sets out nine recommendations for how Labour can win back the trust of former Labour voters whilst staying true to the party’s historic mission and values.

Renaissance spoke to 60 former Labour voters across England and Wales – each of whom voted Conservative in 2019 but Labour in either 2015 or 2017 – in order to discuss the major challenges facing the country and the solutions that Labour might conceivably put forward. It revealed three key challenges facing Labour; the need for the party to establish a clear identity, the need for Labour to win trust on managing the public finances, and the need for Labour to tell a positive story about the future of Britain.

The report calls on Keir Starmer to prioritise and double-down on three of his major conference speech themes – ‘Good Jobs’, ‘Value for Money’, and ‘Security’ – and build on Labour’s summer campaigns: A New Deal for Working People, and Safer Communities.

It also calls for Labour to actively champion a more resilient Britain – building on Rachel Reeves’ ‘make, sell and buy more in Britain’ policy – in order to tell a wider story about how the Conservatives have left our businesses, supply chains and critical national infrastructure vulnerable and exposed to hostile capital.

The recommendations
The report recommends sets out four priority areas, and makes five recommendations about the style of politics Labour will need to deliver on this:

Four pillars for Success

1. Labour should relentlessly promote its core identity as the party of working people - and of “Good jobs you can raise a family on”.
2. Labour must show how each penny it invests will provide value for money, by saving money for frontline services in the long-term.
3. Labour must demonstrate it is committed to building “A more resilient Britain that can stand more firmly on its own two feet”
4. Labour must campaign for “safer communities and high streets”.

Delivering the four pillars

1. Repeat, repeat, repeat - and be consistent.
2. Be bold: continue in the vein of Labour conference and take strong and principled positions on major issues.
3. Critique the Conservatives through a communitarian lens* – and focus on future battles.
4. Point to Labour’s successes to show what Labour in office can achieve.
5. Navigate Culture War distractions by focusing on the future, and deliverables.

*See page 7 of the report.

Quotes

Stephen Kinnock, MP for Aberavon and Chair of Renaissance:

“What is clear from Renaissance’s conversations with former Labour voters is that while politicians in general are not trusted, it’s particularly difficult for Labour to get a hearing because in contrast to the Tories our 11 years in opposition have deprived us of opportunities to show what we stand for by delivering change in government. In addition, Labour’s core identity as the natural home for working people has not always been at the front of our communications, meaning that voters haven’t always understood Labour’s wider intentions. Keir’s is rightly addressing this issue by relentlessly emphasising that Labour is the party of work and good jobs.

“The report also makes clear that the former Labour voters whose trust and support we must win back have made up their minds that austerity was a necessary evil, so it has therefore been reassuring to see Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves put ‘value for money’ at the heart of our party’s investment proposals. Labour can and should focus on the damaging outcomes of austerity – such as more crime, anti-social behaviour and homelessness – rather than focusing on the policy itself.”

Joe Jervis, Director of Renaissance and project lead, said:

“Renaissance’s 60 in-depth conversations with former Labour voters points to three clear messages that Labour needs to get across; that Labour is still the party of working people and good jobs, that it can manage the public finances sensibly, and that it has a positive story to tell about the future of Britain itself. Keir Starmer’s conference speech showed that he is serious about winning back support from former Labour voters and our report sets out how the party can take Starmer’s core messages and communicate them effectively.

“Our report suggests that Labour can benefit from telling a positive, patriotic and compelling national story about the need for a more resilient Britain that can stand more firmly on its own two feet in an increasingly uncertain and turbulent world. As one of our participants said ‘The pandemic shows that we never know what is round the corner’ with many recognising our over-reliance on China as an area of concern. Rachel Reeves’s work to ‘make, buy and sell more in Britain’ is a great start, but, against the backdrop of a supply chain crisis, Labour has an opportunity to build this into a wider story around how a Labour would make Britain more resilient, secure and prosperous – in contrast with a Tory Britain in which our energy infrastructure is part-owned by a hostile foreign powers and where our businesses are perpetually vulnerable to hostile takeovers.”

Carolyn Harris, MP for Swansea East and a Renaissance Advisory Board member, said:

"Modern politics has become far too disconnected from people and places. Keir Starmer is re-establishing Labour as the natural party of working families, and Renaissance’s report shows why this is so important. As a former dinner lady who became an MP in order to fight deep injustices like gambling addiction and child funeral costs, I am pleased that Renaissance is working directly with voters – starting with the first set of 60 conversations behind this report."

Justin Madders, MP for Ellesmere Port and Neston and Renaissance Advisory Board member, said:

"Keir Starmer is putting the Labour Party firmly on the side of those working families who want to get on in life but who who didn't feel they could vote Labour in 2019. Renaissance's new report offers recommendations on how Labour can take important steps forward, and offer a compelling alternative to a Conservative government utterly devoid of the vision and ideas for improving opportunities for communities in the North."

NOTES TO EDITOR

For the report, Renaissance’s researchers spoke to:

• 60 voters across 8 two-hour conversations, spanning South Yorkshire, Stoke, the Black Country, North Wales, Peterborough and Plymouth.
• Each voter backed the Conservatives in 2019, but said they would be willing to vote Labour again in the future if the party improved its performance.
• 30 voted Leave in the EU referendum, 27 voted Remain.
• 30 participants were aged 35-50, 15 participants were 25-35 and 15 participants were 50+.The groups were ethnically representative and with an even gender split.
• The large majority of participants were non-graduates.
• The research took place in May 2021 and was supported by Republic.
• The report will be live here.

Details on Renaissance:

• Renaissance was launched in July 2021 as a voter engagement initiative, focusing initially on re-connecting Labour with its former voters. You can read this piece from our Chair or visit our website to learn more about our work.
• Renaissance is chaired by Stephen Kinnock MP, and directed by Joe Jervis.
• Renaissance’s Advisory Board consists of Justin Madders MP, Carolyn Harris MP, Ruth Smeeth, Gurinder Singh Johal, Cllr Michael Payne, Cllr Rachel Eden, Charlotte Holloway, Kate Dearden, Paul Lindley, Hugh Goldbourne, Paula Surridge, and Yvette Cooper MP.
• Renaissance is funded privately by Labour members.