General election 2019: Labour to overhaul strategy after poll loss
The Labour party is set to revamp its election campaign strategy in a desperate bid to fight back against a huge Conservative lead in the polls.
The rethink is said to be aimed particularly at Leave-supporting areas after the party underestimated the willingness of Leave voters to defect to the Tories.
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The party also overestimated the threat from the Liberal Democrats, sources told the BBC.
Under leader Jeremy Corbyn, Labour’s strategy in the first half of the campaign has been to argue that the election is not purely about Brexit, and instead to focus on other areas such as the NHS and tax reform.
However, the party has been forced to rethink its strategy after a closely-watched poll last night revealed that it risks losing safe seats in Leave-voting areas.
The comprehensive seat-by-seat poll by Yougov, which correctly predicted a hung parliament in 2017, showed Boris Johnson’s party taking a 68-seat majority after the 12 December vote.
As part of the new strategy, Labour will reportedly give a higher profile to shadow cabinet ministers who support Leave, while Corbyn and party chairman Ian Lavery will both tour hotly-contested Leave areas.
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Key to its new messaging will be that the party is not opposing Johnson’s deal because it wants to block Brexit, but rather that it is looking to negotiate a better one.
The Labour party has been contacted for comment.