Archive of UK General Election 2019

Following Labour's defeat in last week's general election, and the collapse of the vote in the North and Midlands, there has been a revival of Blue Labour and debate about the white working class and the need for Labour to regain their votes. Eleanor Penny argues that the only viable option for Labour is a vision real economic offer of revival, combined with a true story of where power lies, not a pandering to bigotry and xenophobia.

At the general election, the Labour party attempted to fight a deeply ingrained narrative about Brexit with appeals to economic interest. It offered “money in your pocket” in opposition to deeper values. It didn’t work. Thursday's defeat raises serious questions about the party's strategy and direction.

Regardless of whether Boris Johnson manages to win the UK General Election on December 12th, the Conservative Party is in deep and possibly existential crisis – a consequence of the long-term effects of neoliberalism on the state, the party, and the ruling class itself.