Labour fighting a 'losing battle' against Reform

A rallying call to Tameside Labour members says the party is ‘fighting a losing battle’ locally to Reform.

Now an ‘urgent’ letter issued to members across the borough and seen by the Tameside Reporter, calls for a ‘strong, visible, grassroots campaign’ as the only way to fight back. 

The letter is signed by Labour Northwest regional director Anthony Lavelle. Painting a stark picture of Labour’s fears about the rise of Reform UK in the borough ahead of May’s local elections, it summons members to an emergency meeting next week.

The letter warns that Labour faces a “very real” threat from Reform, which it says is already organising on the ground and could gain further council seats. 

Reform UK won its first seat in Tameside - and Greater Manchester - when candidate Allan Hopwood swept to victory in last April’s Longdendale by-election.

The by-election, prompted by the resignation of former Tameside Council deputy leader Jacqueline North, saw Reform clinching the previously safe Labour seat in an historic result.

The rallying Labour letter is now calling on party members to step up grassroots campaigning to counter what it describes as a serious challenge to Labour’s long-held dominance in Tameside.

In the letter, Mr Lavelle states that the “growing presence of Reform in Tameside represents a serious challenge to the values we stand for,” accusing Reform of dividing communities and undermining trust in local democracy. He adds there is a “genuine risk” of further gains if Labour does not respond decisively.

The letter goes on to claim that where Reform has taken control of councils elsewhere, it has led to “chaos,” citing alleged instability, resignations, and proposals to cut services, including social care. 

It argues that a Reform-controlled council in Tameside would put “years of hard-won progress at risk,” in relation to local services and community investment.

“I won’t put this lightly - we are fighting a losing battle here, and we urgently need your help,” writes Lavelle, calling for a “strong, visible, grassroots campaign” as the only way to prevent further Reform advances.

This May’s local elections will see 20 seats contested in Tameside out of the 57 across the 19 wards. Two seats will be contested in Denton South following the more recent resignation of Labour councillor Claire Reid, which did not trigger a by-election.

Local council elections, which will be held across the country on May 7, are seen as a clear benchmark for Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer and could well dictate his future.

In Tameside, Labour locally has been left reeling from a series of political earthquakes, including resignations, suspensions and expulsions amid the ‘Trigger Me Timbers’ WhatsApp scandal.

Denton MP Andrew Gwynne was suspended by the Labour Party and lost his ministerial job for his part in the scandal. He apologised for his ‘badly misjudged’ comments in the WhatsApp group.

Although a national election does not have to be called until August 2029, recent polls predict that Reform could claim former Deputy PM Angela Rayner’s seat in Ashton if an election was to be called tomorrow. 

The Ashton MP has held the seat since 2015; the safe Labour seat having been held by the party since 1935. 

The MP herself has been embroiled in controversy for failing to pay enough Stamp Duty on a property in Hove, costing her her Deputy PM, Deputy Labour Party and Housing Minister roles.

Reform UK states its growing support reflects voter frustration with the main parties and has rejected claims that it would damage local services if it gained control of councils. 

Nationally, the party has pointed to electoral successes and defections from other parties as evidence of momentum, though it has also faced criticism over internal disputes and policy commitments.

The leaked memo has been reported on in national press.

Labour North West have declined to comment.