- Party MPs told to avoid discussing a 'north/south' divide in speeches
- A party review found that southern voters were being alienated by the party
- The review was part of leader Ed Miliband's 'One Nation' initiative
- The party holds just ten seats outside of London in the south
By Tamara Cohen
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Labour MPs have been told to stop talking about the 'North-South' divide in a drive to win back support.
An internal party review warned that Labour's traditional focus on the northern working classes has alienated crucial swing voters in the South.
In an apparent change of tactics, the party will look to target the man 'on the 6.54 from Basingstoke', whose allegiance might be swayed as he struggles to make ends meet in the economic downturn.
The review of the party's performance was overseen by former Cabinet minister John Denham and Labour general secretary Iain McNicol.
Mr Denham said Labour would be making a 'very explicit appeal' to the type of southern voter who helped Tony Blair secure his landslide victories.
A North/South divide drawn by researchers at Sheffield University, stretching from the Severn to the Humber and based on factors such as political leanings, life expectancy and educational prospects, showed Labour had just ten MPs in the South outside London after the 2010 general election, but had 210 above the line in the North and Scotland.
Meanwhile, Mr Denham's report notes that the figure is the same as in 1992 and much lower than in 1997, when New Labour secured around 30 seats.
Mr Denham suggested that next year, Ed Miliband's speeches would put greater emphasis on the struggles faced by southerners, many of whom are locked out of the property market and face a major squeeze on living standards.
Speaking about the North-South divide, he said: 'If you think about it, the message is that everybody in the southern part is doing okay.
Vision: Labour leader Ed Miliband, pictured launching his 'One Nation' initiative back in September. A review under the One Nation scheme found that southern voters are being alienated by Labour
'If you use that language, it sounds as though you represent the northern bit. A classic mistake for the party for a long time was using that sort of language, and then wondering why people in the South didn't think we were talking about them.'
'If someone in the Labour Party talks about rail fares, a southern voter may not automatically think they were talking about them, on the 6.54 from Basingstoke.
'You have to make the point that you are talking about the 6.54 from Basingstoke.
'There are towns around London where the average wage may be above the national average, but because the costs of housing and transport are so high, the living standards are below the national average.
Divide: Former cabinet minister John Denham, left, has said that Labour MPs have been told to avoid alienating southern voters when making speeches. Former The Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie stoked fierce north-south debate earlier this month when he called for a political party to represent the interests of the south
'Part of what we are doing is making sure we are clearly rooting what we say with the lives of people in the South.'
Labour's 'Basingstoke man' is the latest attempt to target swing voters.
'Essex man' was the term coined to explain the popularity of Margaret Thatcher, and came to epitomise aspirational Tory-voters, many of whom had working-class roots but had sought a better life in the Home Counties.
Fresh appeal: Labour wants to concentrate its efforts to win back the southern vote. John Denham MP says that the party must appeal to the 'man on the 6.54am from Basingstoke'
Northern: Ed Miliband's constituency of Doncaster North, South Yorkshire, is above the line which splits the UK in terms of Labour support
In 1996, Tony Blair targeted the same type of middle-income voter, this time incarnated as 'Mondeo man', and in 2001, the Tories identified them as 'pebble-dash people' – professional married couples aged 35 to 50, living in pebble-dash homes, typical of the suburbs.
It comes as Mr Miliband this week pledged to unveil a string of new policies to woo middle Britain.
In his New Year's message he said he had learned 'hard truths' about what Labour 'got wrong' on issues such as immigration in the past, and promised to focus on rebuilding the economy and helping struggling families. But he will face a battle after a survey showed Labour MPs remain firmly opposed to curbs on immigration and red tape.
The new Ipsos/Mori revealed some 49 per cent of Labour MPs said placing any restriction on immigration would harm the competitiveness of Britain's economy.
By contrast, 82 per cent of Conservative MPs said that immigration restrictions would not harm the economy.
The survey also found Labour MPs are deeply opposed to slashing red tape, which is cited as a major problem stalling the growth of small business.
.......struggles to make ends meet in the economic downturn. A downturn encouraged by the Labour party ! Who the heck is going to vote for more of the same.
- Mav , Was Hampshire now elsewhere, United Kingdom, 29/12/2012 05:55
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