BIG beasts of the Labour Party have warned activists that the next election is not “in the bag”.
Party leader Sir Keir Starmer and New Labour veterans Lord Mandelson and Alan Milburn have urged supporters against complacency as the Conservatives plot to stay in power.
Labour commands a lead of around 20 points in the polls and the Tories have been rocked by scandals. But the Labour heavyweights cautioned that the Conservatives will “never give up”.
Former health secretary Mr Milburn, inset, warned it is still “game on” and said that opinion polls “count for nothing”, predicting Rishi Sunak will call the election “as late as possible”.
He told GB News: “Why is he going to do that? Because he’s 20 points behind in the opinion polls.
“So he needs all the time he can get in order to try to claw that lead back, and, at a minimum, try to prevent Labour from getting an overall majority.”
Describing the run-up to Labour’s historic 1997 landslide, he said: “Although the opinion polls were saying Labour was going to have a landslide, not one of us believed it.”
And Lord Mandelson warned the party against “inhaling” its present success.
He told the broadcaster: “The biggest risk is that we think the next election is in the bag and we relax, we take it for granted. No, we have to maintain our absolute focus on voters, particularly those voters who have yet to be convinced that Labour does offer a credible, united, progressive alternative.”
This story is from the January 29, 2023 edition of Sunday Express.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January 29, 2023 edition of Sunday Express.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Armchair viewers' blank afternoon
TEMPERATURES below freezing wiped out both of the ITV fixtures yesterday leaving viewers without any live racing to watch.
Kyrgios slams Sinner and will not be silenced
NICK KYRGIOS has warned he is not going “to shut up” about Italian hero Jannik Sinner’s failed drug tests in the build-up to the Australian Open.
Will power for Sarries
TOM WILLIS surged over for two tries to give England boss Steve Borthwick another compelling reminder that his Test debut is overdue.
NOW HAAL'S WELL AGAIN AT ETIHAD
THE crisis is officially over and normal service has resumed.
NWANERI ONLY HIGH SPOT FOR GUNNERS
Lacklustre draw deals title hopes fresh blow
Stroke victim meets cops who saved her
A WOMAN who had a cardiac arrest and stroke while driving and miraculously survived has been reunited with the officers who saved her life.
Mum's cash crisis after cancer bills
A MOTHER-of-three whose mouth cancer was missed due to Covid restrictions is now facing eviction after failing to pay bills during her two years of treatment and rehabilitation.
100 'jump dock' at court despite £7m safety drive
MORE than 100 prisoners have escaped custody by jumping out of the dock during the last seven years - despite a government-funded scheme to make courts more secure.
We must teach pupils why Britain is 'Great'
ALMOST from the moment the first child crossed the threshold and entered a classroom, governments, dictators and other political leaders have sought to use education as a means of indoctrination and controlling the population.
Half a billion in pensions to dead people
BUNGLING civil servants overpaid £511.8 million in state pensions and pension credits to dead recipients, and failed to claw back £256.8m of it over the past five years.
