You've got to accentuate the positives!

‘Labour’s by-election wins are a victory for positive campaigning’ says Elizabeth McWilliams, Ely & East Cambridgeshire Labour’s democracy spokesperson

Two new Labour MPs elected on the same night. Labour overturning huge majorities in the previously ‘safe’ rural Tory seats of Mid Beds and Tamworth.

Five new Labour MPs gained in just over a year. The winners in Mid Beds and Tamworth joining the victor in Rutherglen & Hamilton West earlier in October. Labour’s gain in Selby & Ainsty in July and in Wakefield in Summer 2022.

I’m very pleased about the progress we’ve made as a party. Across the country in rural and in urban areas, voters want change and they see Labour as a Government in-waiting ready to deliver that change.

To me, the most pleasing aspect of these recent wins is that Labour ran a positive campaign. I saw this first hand in Mid Beds.

Labour built support one conversation at a time.

Labour’s fantastic candidate Alistair Strathern made himself visible and accessible with open meetings around the constituency and plenty of face-to-face contact on the doorstep.

While it was clear that the Conservative vote had imploded, we knew that voters wanted more than a campaign of ‘vote for us to stop the Conservatives’. We understood that people wanted a conversation about the Labour offer.

Labour was almost alone in avoiding attacks even when others chucked mud at us.

Labour focused on the difference a Labour MP would make

Labour listened to what concerned local people and then set about presenting what we would do about it. Alistair made promises of the exact actions he would take for local residents.

Every Labour leaflet made it clear that it was from the Labour Party and had a Labour logo on it. This honesty is something I am really passionate about.

Voters saw through fake newspapers, made up graphs and literature that forgot to include the party name

Mid Beds homes started receiving free newspapers and magazines: Mid Beds Courier, Mid Beds Chronicle, Mid Beds Life. These were fakes. It was party propaganda from the Lib Dems and Tories pretending to be independent publications.

The Tories knew their brand was toxic and they switched to promoting ‘the Local Candidate’ and forgot to mention he is a Conservative. The Lib Dems delivered their usual heap of bar charts and graphs, some with completely invented figures.

The voters saw through this. We had plenty of feedback from former Tory and LD supporters confirming that they preferred Labour’s positive approach. Messages such as ‘nice to see policies rather than attacking the opposition’.

In victory, Labour recognises that our MPs are there to serve.

When we won, sure there were victory rallies. But it was notable that there were no triumphalist stunts. Keir Starmer spoke of Labour’s humility and gratitude and of the need to earn votes. Our newly elected MPs reiterated their pledge not to let people down, to keep listening and to serve.

These are the values of the changed Labour Party and I am proud of them.

I look forward to further positive campaigning in the expected by-election in Wellingborough and, of course, in the General Election here in Ely & East Cambridgeshire. Hopefully with the same outcome.