I do think there needs to be a strategic revaluation of how Labour engage with non-metropolitan areas. There is a sense, rightly or wrongly, that Corbyn and the shadow cabinet were very “separate” to those communities and even the Labour MPs based in them. Whoever comes in will need to remedy that and reassure those voters.
You can be sure that whoever Labour pick, the Tories will portray them as either a Corbynite (out of touch with normal people), or a false manipulator (pretending to have working class credentials, meekly begging for people to return).
Going to be damn hard to combat that. My suggestion that I’ve come up with on-the-spot that could be total shit, is for Labour to bring in another layer of hierarchy - with there being not just MPs for certain constituencies but figureheads for whole regional areas e.g. a representative for Northumberland, East Yorkshire, Mid Wales etc. Local Labour MPs would work closely with those regional reps and less closely with Westminster. This would make it easier to campaign at a regional level specific to people’s interests instead of a national one. This could be at risk of being a ceremonial position which would be bad, and in an ideal world it wouldn’t need to happen, but the pros and cons of new strategies need to be considered.
