Keir Starmer issued urgent Farage warning as Labour on 'far shakier ground' in Red Wall

Labour could come to regret their approach to Reform UK during the general election, a pollster warns, as Nigel Farage's party could snatch seats across the UK.

18:52, Tue, Sep 17, 2024 | UPDATED: 18:53, Tue, Sep 17, 2024

Split of Nigel Farage and Sir Keir Starmer

A pollster argues Labour could have put themselves in a much stronger position in the Red Wall (Image: Getty)

Reform UK's surge at the general election gave Labour a short-term boost but has left the governing party on "shaky ground" in the Red Well, a polling expert warns.

More in Common pollster Luke Tryl told Politico that though the success of Nigel Farage's party helped deliver an emphatic Tory wipeout, it could spell trouble for Labour's hopes of re-election.

“A good chunk of those Tory voters that Reform took were people who had at some point voted Labour,” Tryl told the outlet.

He said: “I think it has left Labour on far shakier ground in places like the Red Wall than they would have been if they had targeted Farage differently."

Tryl said he understood the "glee Labour would have felt seeing their opponent suffer because the Farage threat emerged", but added, "I’m just not convinced it ultimately benefited Labour as much as they think".

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Nigel Farage (Image: Getty)

Tryl noted that Reform came second in 89 seats to Labour, and the party is already rising in the polls. “If Labour lose a couple of percent to Reform and the Tories don’t get their act together you’ve got this whole swathe of seats at risk,” he warned.

A senior party aide quoted in the upcoming book, Landslide: The inside story of the 2024 election, suggested Sir Keir Starmer's party gave Reform an easy ride to hurt the Tories, saying: “It’s not a healthy development for British politics to have Nigel Farage rampaging around the country, whipping up division.

“But we also know that in terms of the election, the biggest loser from this is Rishi Sunak and Conservatives."

Labour stormed to victory on July 4 by winning 411 seats, with Tory MPs cut down to just 121. The first-past-the-post system meant Reform, despite winning four million votes, were left with only five MPs.

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Sir Keir Starmer (Image: Getty)

However, it proved to be hugely beneficial for Labour, with analysis by The Telegraph suggesting the presence of Reform on the ballot may have cost the Tories 80 seats.

Speaking to GB News, Reform UK Chairman Zia Yusuf said his party is planning a major push in seats currently held by Labour.

“We have said since the election that we have Labour in our sights and that has not changed," he said. "Reform came second in 89 seats held by Labour and that was just the start.

"Starting with the council elections next year, we plan to ruthlessly target Labour held seats and show voters we are the real alternative."

A Labour spokesperson told Politico the party “put forward a positive message to change our country and rebuild our economy” years of Tory “chaos” and decline.

“The British people loudly endorsed Labour’s positive plans all across the country, and with their mandate we are beginning the hard work to fix the foundations, and take the first steps towards change," they added.