The best way to burst Reform’s bubble? For voters to feel better-off

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage on a visit to The Big Club in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, 2 May 2025 (PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo)

Luke Akehurst

@lukeakehurst

Labour had already lost control of Durham county council in 2021, after 102 years of control (Durham was the first Labour county council in England, won in 1919), to a diverse coalition of Lib Dems, Tories and Independents. But we went into this campaign hoping to build on our clean sweep of County Durham’s MPs in the general election and take back a majority.

Instead, we now face a council with a large majority of councillors (65 of 98) from Reform UK, and there are now just four Labour councillors. In North Durham we held just one seat, as well as gaining – against the tide – rural Lanchester from the Tories. 

I will hold Reform to account for anything they do at County Hall that conflicts with our values. I suspect we will see utter chaos

I want to express my profound sadness and extend my solidarity and commiserations to all the fantastic Labour councillors and candidates who lost their seats. Losing to Reform was not their fault, and it certainly wasn’t the fault of our campaign, which was energetic and positive. Unfortunately, we were swept away by a national tide towards Reform.

It’s my responsibility as MP to make sure Labour nationally listens to the message voters in North Durham were sending us by voting for Reform in previously safe Labour council seats. On the doorstep I repeatedly heard these things, often more than one of them cited by the same person:

• Anger among pensioners about the means-testing of the winter fuel allowance. It may not be possible to reverse this policy, but we need to understand how alienated this group of voters feel. In my constituency, the core Labour vote in the general election was older, in contrast to the young voters who are our base in big cities and university towns.
• ⁠Concern about illegal immigration, and a lack of awareness of the actions we are already taking, such as deporting 24,000 illegal immigrants. 
• Frustration about the continued high cost of living, including energy costs.
• ⁠Impatience that the North East region and the towns and villages of North Durham continue to feel “left behind” and are not getting the economic regeneration, good quality jobs, and new infrastructure they have needed for decades.

Labour is starting to deliver many great things, whether it’s the increases to the minimum wage and pensions, extra NHS spending that is driving down waiting lists, or the Employment Rights Act. But we need to respond to the urgent desire for change and the real worries that people have about the state of the country and show we are listening. 

I will be fighting to get ministers to focus resources on communities like mine that suffer the most deprivation. That’s the right thing to do in public policy terms.

We will deliver on our government’s missions faster if we target the areas with the most concentrated problems regarding economic activity, health, educational attainment and crime. It’s morally the right thing to do and consistent with our social democratic values. And the most effective way to burst Reform’s bubble will be for people voting Reform out of despair to feel better-off, and to feel that public services and the local economy are being improved by Labour.

I will hold Reform to account for anything they do at County Hall that conflicts with our values. I suspect we will see utter chaos as inexperienced councillors find out that running a major council is about serious hard work, not simplistic slogans and internet memes.

It’s a good thing that I enjoy campaigning, as I’m going to need to lead a lot of it to ensure that this very sad day is a one-off setback, and the proud Labour tradition of County Durham is returned to power at County Hall as soon as possible.

Luke Akehurst is Labour MP for North Durham

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