‘Something about Burnley’: Political dynamics in Labour’s ‘most winnable’ target seat

Abstract

Do reactions to the onslaught on Gaza in a northern English town signal any wider political realignment in ‘red wall’ constituencies? George Galloway’s success in the February 2023 Rochdale by-election generated scores of op-ed articles. Ali Milani of the Labour Muslim Network identified it as ‘evidence of a serious problem Labour has with the trust and support of the Muslim community, who Labour has enjoyed the support of for decades’. This article focuses on another northern English town where half the Labour councillors responded to Starmer’s opposition to a ceasefire in Gaza by resigning from the party. In a granular case-study analysis of relationships and realignments in local politics, it identifies the wider patterns and problems behind the current headlines. Alongside long-term trends of de-alignment between Labour and constituencies which have previously supported it, a managerialist and controlling culture has narrowed discussion and shallowed debate, reducing the party???s ability to engage the energies and represent the views and interests of many people who nevertheless still see themselves as holding to ‘Labour values’.