“If you’re still in Labour and you have a social conscience, leave.” The words of Jamie Driscoll, the former Labour North of Tyne Mayor and independent candidate for the North East Metro Mayor. Jamie has been critical of Labour since his departure and Keir Starmer’s election to Downing Street, turning his guns on his former party in their time of unpopularity.
But in a voting system that favours two parties only and with Reform UK edging ever closer to the topping the opinion polls, could abandoning Labour sleepwalk the UK into something far worse? Could a call to leave Labour play into the hands of the Conservatives or Nigel Farage?
No difference?
When asked about voting Labour to keep the Conservatives and Reform UK out, Jamie Driscoll told me that the argument for voting for the lesser of two evils had been “demolished” before putting to me a question: “what have the Labour Party actually done?” Accusing Labour of carrying out Conservative policies, Jamie cited page six of the Reform UK manifesto in which there is a pledge to reduce government spending by 5% across the board, which he contrasts to Rachel Reeves’ demands for government departments to make efficiency savings of 5%, or “basically cuts”.
Not everyone agrees, however. I spoke to Clark from Berwick, name changed for anonymity purposes, who voted Labour in the last general election but for Jamie Driscoll in the North East Metro Mayor election. He talks of good things that have come since the election such as the end of the rail and doctor strikes, the inheritance tax and the end of the Rwanda scheme; arguing that there is a difference. He told me “We’ve only had six months of the Labour government; it takes a long time to reverse the decisions of a previous government.”
A rigged voting system
Currently in the UK, we have a voting system that is focused on two parties. In today’s political climate, the parties that benefit are Labour and the Conservatives. Reform UK however, won five MPs and came second in 98 constituencies in the general election. This, coupled with them coming second in two opinion polls since October, could see them become a big force in the future and see the UK face a double threat from the right-wing.
Clark stresses that Labour are the only ones to combat this threat, that people look at branding and leadership in general elections and that it will be a straight fight between Labour and the Conservative and Reform parties as people don’t believe the others can win.
Jamie Driscoll sees it differently, however. Jamie is part of a left-wing coalition called Majority which is built on electing as many progressive, left-wing candidates as possible and supports candidates as long as they subscribe to the NOLAN principals. When asked if the voting system would cause problems for progressive candidates who don’t have the two-party banner, Jamie told me “You go up a gradient, and that involves winning local council seats, winning local pockets of support and establishing yourself as credible.” Jamie believes that people “should engage in politics to gain the country that they want” and “stop second-guessing other people, stand up and tell the truth and vote with their conscience”.
There is evidence to believe this is possible. In the last general election, the Green Party took Bristol Central from Labour and two rural seats from the Conservatives. Five Labour MPs were also unseated by independent candidates.
These are small numbers, however. With the Greens, their victories came with long campaigns, gradients as Jamie mentioned. Will this be enough to install a new national government? Will it be enough to simultaneously end the two-party system and stop the rise of Reform? Or will it fail to have the desired effect by the time of the next election, split the vote and allow the Conservatives and Reform UK in through the back door?
It is clear the new Labour government has been a mixed bag. With good has also come bad and whereas people are benefiting, people are also losing out. Jamie Driscoll calls on Labour members to leave; he asks “how could letting anyone else in be any worse?” But with the Conservatives and Reform UK locked in a battle to see who can be more right-wing, could the loss of Labour at a general election lead the UK into something that is actually worse? Or is Jamie right in his assertion that there is now no difference between them?
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