Only a 'hopeless romantic' could imagine Labour winning in Crewe, admits campaign chief as Brown sinks to new poll low

13 April 2012

The MP behind Labour's disastrous Crewe by-election campaign has admitted only a 'hopeless romantic' could have imagined they might win.


Party whip Steve McCabe said it had been 'mission impossible' to argue the Government was on the voters' side due to fears of rising taxes and the cost of living.

His frank admission of Labour's alienation from voters came after a YouGov survey revealed the party had slumped to 23 points, the worst since Gallup's first opinion poll in 1943.

Gordon Brown's personal rating is now at the same level as John Major's when the Tory prime minister's leadership was at its absolute lowest ebb.

Tough times for Gordon Brown as Labour plunges to its lowest poll rating since records. His personal rating is now as bad as John Major at his lowest point

The disastrous rating puts Mr Brown under yet more pressure as he faces a crunch meeting with the Parliamentary Labour Party on Monday.

Mr McCabe, writing in left-wing magazine Tribune, admitted younger voters had deserted the Government ahead of last week's Tory by-election coup.

'Their message was simple. They were fed up with paying too much tax, too much for fuel and food, and feared for their economic future,' the MP said.

'Labour couldn't claim to be on their side. That remains the big challenge. What will we do to win back those 'switchers' who feel that Labour has let them down?'

He added: 'The plan was to protect as much of the core vote as possible. Only a hopeless romantic could believe there were voters to be won over.

'My anxiety was to avoid coming third which, following the local elections, was a real risk.'

Dominant: The Tories under David Cameron are now 24 points ahead of Labour

The Tories simple message - to vote against Gordon Brown and the abolition of the 10p income tax band - had taken them to victory, Mr McCabe said.

'We were unable to counter a highly motivated and previously dormant true blue vote in Nantwich and the surrounding Cheshire villages.

'Nor could we stem the drift from Labour of the aspirational 25 and 35-plus age groups.'

The by-election where Tory candidate Edward Timpson romped home with a majority of almost 8,000 compounded Labour's earlier drubbing at the local elections.

Mr Timpson snatched the traditional Labour heartland for the Tories on a large swing, taking 49 per cent of the vote to Labour's 31 per cent.

An ill-advised campaign focusing on Mr Timpson and Tory leader David Cameron's backgrounds by sending supporters to follow them around in top hats and tails spectacularly backfired.

But Mr McCabe denies it was a 'toff strategy', describing it as an 'early caricature designed to help us emphasise the difference between the leading protagonists'.

He claimed it might have worked but for 'some useful Tory spin and cowardly criticism' from within the Labour party's own ranks.

'The Prime Minister was not involved in devising or sanctioning any aspect of the campaign and those who gossiped never once spoke to me,' he said.

'I went to Crewe and Nantwich out of loyalty to the PM and the Labour Party. I knew from day one that it was mission impossible, but I'm not one of those who only surfaces when things are easy. Genuine Labour loyalists aren't like that.'

The Tories hailed his article as proof of exactly how out of touch Mr Brown and his ministers have become.

Shadow cabinet minister Chris Grayling said: 'When the man they handpicked to run their by-election campaign in Crewe and Nantwich says they are no longer on people's side, it's quite clear that this is a Government that has run out of steam and clearly needs to be replaced.'

'Caricature': Labour's Crewe by-election campaign chief denies it had a 'toff strategy' despite sending out supporters dressed in top hat and tails

Mr Brown is under pressure like never before after back to back defeats in the local elections and in Crewe.

Today's poll for the Daily Telegraph, putting Labour on 23 points with the Tories 24 points ahead on 47 and the Liberal Democrats on 18, will add to his woes.

Even under the dark days of Michael Foot in the 1980s, Labour never dipped below 23.5 points.

It has now fallen three points in a month, reflecting the party's numerous problems and especially the desperate 10p tax U-turn after a damaging row among rebel MPs.

If the results were repeated in a general election, Mr Cameron would not only win but have a landslide majority. 

They also reveal that only 15 per cent of people are satisfied with Mr Brown as prime minister - the same as John Major during his final years in Number 10.

When asked who would make the better prime minister, 39 per cent said David Cameron, a rise of seven per cent on last month, while just 17 per cent opted for Mr Brown - down two per cent since April.

Three quarters of those questioned said they were dissatisfied with the Government and just 22 per cent now believe Labour can run the economy well - down from 49 in 2005. Now, 39 per cent say the Tories would do a good job, up 12.

A third of voters said Labour would have a better chance of winning an election under a new leader.

During Brown's honeymoon after taking office last year, Labour's poll ratings twice hit 40 per cent.

But by March this year there had been a remarkable turnaround, and party support had slumped to a low of 29 per cent.

Party strategists felt the party could not sink any lower, but there now seems no limit to the depths its poll ratings could plunge.

In last month's local elections, Labour received 24 per cent of the vote compared to the Conservatives' 44 per cent and then pulled off another huge coup by winning in Crewe.

The latest poll shows the gap between the two parties has widened even further since the start of the month.

Former transport minister Stephen Ladyman warned the party's popularity will plummet still further unless action is taken to tackle high fuel and road taxes.

Dr Ladyman said Mr Brown must 'sharpen his message and broaden his appeal across the New Labour spectrum'.

One of 10 Blairite backbenchers calling for fresh ideas to help rescue the party, he urged the Premier to scrap proposals to raise vehicle excise duty on gas guzzlers and re-address plans to raise fuel duty by 2p this autumn.

Mr Brown is facing another potential revolt on the road tax measures, with more than 40 MPs already signed up to a Commons motion calling for a rethink.

He was also under attack today from the head of one of the country's biggest trade unions which warned it was unhappy with his leadership of the party.

Paul Kenny, general secretary of the GMB, said many of its members did not understand why the Prime Minister was not being more proactive.

The union is set to debate disaffiliating itself from Labour at its annual conference next month.

Mr Kenny said members were feeling 'angry and disillusioned' with the Government and were more angry with the leadership than with the party itself.

'There is widespread concern and dismay about the direction, policies and lack of action by the Government.

"A lot of my members say the Government seems to be reactive rather than proactive.

'They don't understand why we export gas to Belgium in the summer and buy it back later, at a more expensive price, just because we don't have enough storage facilities.

'That is the economics of the madhouse... The Government doesn't appear to be addressing the basic issues.'


 Ministers to 'compromise' over terror detention plans

Home Office Minister Tony McNulty is considering compromises over Government plans to detain terror suspects for up to 42 days without charge

Ministers seem ready to make concessions over plans to detain terror suspects for up to 42 days without charge.

Home Office minister Tony McNulty said he was 'looking seriously' at possible compromises, such as giving MPs greater say over whether a suspect should be held beyond 28 days.

He also suggested the Home Office could back down on such issues as the circumstances which would enable the powers to be triggered.

Dozens of Labour backbenchers are threatening to rebel when the proposals are put to a vote next month. The Counter Terrorism Bill currently states that a Parliamentary vote will be held after the Home Secretary grants an extension beyond 28 days.

Mr McNulty said: 'The notion of looking seriously at when the Parliamentary vote should be is one we have certainly discussed.'

But Andrew Dismore, of the Joint Committee on Human Rights, said the Government needed to go further. He insisted it would be 'inappropriate' for MPs to discuss details of an active police inquiry.



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