Senior officials have warned that Labour could become extinct as it moves further away from its working-class roots. The general secretary of Unite, one of the most influential trade unions in the UK and Ireland, warned the party was at risk of dying out while speaking on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.
Sharon Graham said Labour had abandoned the working class, so the working class have chosen to abandon them. She believes the party needs a “completely different economic direction and political direction”. The same warning also came from within Sir Keir Starmer‘s own party. Josh Simons, the former Cabinet Office minister, warned Labour was “marching towards extinction” as traditional supporters switch to Reform UK. So what do you think? Has Labour forgotten its roots and put itself at risk of extinction? Vote in the poll below and join the discussion in the comments.
“Now, people whisper that high turnout in working-class estates is bad for Labour. When a party fears the people it was created to represent, it is marching towards extinction,” he warned.
“I do not believe the prime minister can rise to this moment. He has lost the country. He should take control of the situation by overseeing an orderly transition to a new prime minister.”
In a strongly worded piece, he said the party had deferred to “elite interests” and lacked a “bold agenda to harness transformative technologies” such as AI, while energy, water, housing and roads had “crumbled while lining the pockets of billionaires who control them”.
Despite his efforts, Labour MP Catherine West has urged the Cabinet to rally around her push for a replacement PM. The former foreign minister said she has the support of 10 MPs on Saturday, and she hoped by going public she could reach 81 – the number needed to trigger a leadership contest.