Labour launches new community unit to help win back heartland seats
2 min read
Labour will today launch a new community campaign unit aimed at winning back support in some of its heartlands.
While the party performed excellently in big cities in last year's snap election, they did less well in some traditional Labour areas, losing seats such as the former mining town of Mansfield to the Conservatives.
Jeremy Corbyn said the new unit would be working all over the UK but "especially in places like the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire coal belts" which have felt the brunt of economic changes in the last few decades.
The new campaigning strategy is designed to help the party make inroads in the kind of seats it needs to win an overall majority from the Tories, who currently have 55 more MPs than Labour.
The unit will link up with constituency Labour parties and trade unions to work on local issues.
Mr Corbyn cited the work done by Ed Miliband in his Doncaster North constituency to challenge unfair lending practices as an example of bringing about change at a local level.
"We will empower people to campaign and win in their communities and workplaces on issues that matter to them," the Labour leader said.
"By organising more effectively with communities across the country, not only can we build support to help Labour win elections… we can make real, practical differences to people's lives, even while in opposition."
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