The London mayor has criticised the prime minister for calling the Greens ‘extreme’ after losing the Gorton and Denton by-election
Sadiq Khan has told Keir Starmer to ditch his “flawed strategy” of taking progressive voters for granted, after Labour came third in the Gorton and Denton by-election last week.
The Mayor of London criticised the prime minister for branding the Green party “extreme”, and said that trying to compete with Reform is “inauthentic” and a betrayal of Labour values.
In an article for the Guardian, Khan said that “there was no sugar-coating” that losing Gorton and Denton, a seat Labour had held for nearly a century, was “a terrible result”.
Khan stated that “A political strategy of taking liberal, progressive voters for granted is clearly flawed. The national Labour party and government doesn’t just need to reflect on this result, but fundamentally rethink its approach.”
He added that “the vast majority of those who are thinking of voting Green are not extreme”, and that “calling them extreme will only turn more people away”.
Khan referred to how he has called out Trump for racism and sexism, and lobbying for the UK to rejoin the EU customs union and spoken out about the killing of Palestinians.
Khan said: “Staying quiet on these issues and trying to compete with Reform on the right of politics not only feels inauthentic – at a time when authenticity is more prized in politics than ever – but a betrayal of what Labour is supposed to represent. We must address the concerns and fears of voters, not play on them.”
Khan praised Starmer’s “good work” on free breakfast clubs and workers’ rights, and added that he was not calling for Starmer to resign.
However, he said he felt the prime minister’s achievements were being overshadowed by “missteps and political positioning” on issues such as Gaza, Brexit and migration.
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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