Red Wall MPs tell Starmer to get tough on immigration or we will lose our seats to Reform

Labour MPs in the Red Wall are warning Sir Keir Starmer they risk losing their seats to Reform unless he proves he is tough on immigration.

Around 35 MPs have formed a new pressure group urging the Prime Minister to be more vocal about his plans to tackle sky-high immigration in an attempt to shore up support in Brexit-backing areas.

Unofficially dubbed the “Red Wall Caucus”, the MPs represent constituencies in the North and Midlands that were once deemed safe Labour territory but saw a Conservative influx in 2019 when Boris Johnson pledged to “get Brexit done”.

They now face an increasing threat from Reform, led by former Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage, which took a chunk out of the Conservative vote in former Labour heartlands at the general election.

The Red Wall MPs, led by Jo White, the new MP for Bassetlaw, are putting pressure on the Prime Minister to prove to their constituents that he is taking their concerns about immigration seriously.

They also want to see Sir Keir highlight what he is doing to tackle other issues affecting working-class communities, including access to GPs, anti-social behaviour and the cost-of-living crisis.

The aim of the group is to strengthen the voice of Red Wall MPs, as there is a perception that their constituencies – often post-industrial areas with higher levels of deprivation – are not “particularly represented” by members of the Cabinet.

The caucus is positioning itself as helpful rather than adversarial, with new MPs typically cautious about speaking out against the Government.

But it has the potential to pose more of a headache for Sir Keir as members grow in confidence and feel the pressure from Reform in the run up to the next election.

The Telegraph understands that the Red Wall MPs have already met with ministers including Liz Kendall, the Leader of the House of Commons.

In total, all but two of the 36 so-called Red Wall seats that abandoned Labour in 2019 returned to the party on July 4, according to Telegraph analysis.

However, the comeback was largely down to a collapse in support for the Conservatives, rather than any significant gains for Labour.

The gap was filled by Reform, with the insurgent Right-wing party tripling its vote share from 6.2 per cent to 21.7 per cent.

The Red Wall MPs want to see better messaging from ministers on the key issues affecting their constituents, including immigration, to prevent them defecting to Reform at the next election.

Jonathan Hinder, the Labour MP for Pendle and Clitheroe and a member of the Red Wall Caucus, said the challenge for the Government is to “clearly and regularly communicate” the action being taken to bring down migration levels.

He told The Telegraph: “The British people want our borders secure and net migration brought down after the Tories totally lost control.

“The Government has made an excellent start in this regard, but the challenge now is to clearly and regularly communicate the action being taken on deportations, smashing the gangs, and reducing our reliance on overseas workers, so that people have confidence that progress is being made.”

Another Labour MP in the group said they would like to see Sir Keir do more to prove to Red Wall voters he is focused on the issues that matter to them.

Asked about the Government’s messaging, they said: “I feel that we can be better. I feel that we’ve come into Government focusing on doing the job, rather than on how we inform people of what we’re doing.

“So getting our comms right is critical, and I see that as an important responsibility for us in the Red Wall group to put that pressure on the Government to do so.”

They said the caucus was set up to counter the lack of Red Wall MPs in the Cabinet, to ensure proper representation for post-industrial areas in Government policy.

“If you look at the Government and the majority of ministers, they represent seats that you wouldn’t define as Red Wall seats… That’s no fault and no criticism, but it’s ensuring that we have a voice and that we are heard,” they said.

The MP added: “It’s about ensuring that they hear what we’re saying about what’s going on locally, but also ensuring that the comms and the way that we present policy reflects the priorities for people in our area.”

Those priorities include immigration, access to GPs, anti-social behaviour and “getting people off benefits”, they said.

“It’s about having conversations with ministers to ensure they’re hearing what we see as important, so they assist with them in policy development,” they added.

“So we are meeting with ministers. We’ve had pollsters in to see us, and so we’re meeting regularly. But it is about having a positive relationship with the Government.”

It comes as the Prime Minister faces increasing pressure to get a handle on net migration – the number of people entering the UK minus those leaving – after levels hit a record high of almost one million last year.

The figures, covering the previous Tory government’s administration before the general election, have since dropped by 20 per cent and stood at 728,000 in the latest period for the year to June 2024.

Sir Keir has vowed to reduce net migration but so far refused to set a target, despite making clear numerical pledges on other issues.

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