Labour didn’t lose its ‘red wall’ – it never had one

ne of the most popular explanations for Labour’s poor electoral performances in both Hartlepool and Batley and Spen is that a mythical group of working-class people voted solidly for Labour until Jeremy Corbyn and Brexit came along. This idea is stubbornly persistent in political analysis, yet it’s bunk. Labour has seen its vote share collapse, both nationally and in these seats, three times over the last 50 years. Indeed, the belief that working-class people traditionally voted Labour has only been true (and barely so) for a mere 25 years of British history, and a long time ago.

Continued in the Guardian 9 July 2021