Jonathan Ashworth: 'Nobody likes losing an election. It's a kick in the knackers'
8 min read
A key figure in Gordon Brown’s No 10, and a shadow cabinet minister under Keir Starmer’s Labour opposition, Jonathan Ashworth tells Tali Fraser about his plans as chief executive of influential think tank Labour Together.
“I’m not going to pretend it’s the job I was expecting or anticipating,” Jonathan Ashworth concedes, “but nonetheless, it is an honour”.
“It was like a free transfer. Your team lets you go and another team swoops in straight away and asks you to come over,” says the Leicester City fan.
He was defeated in Leicester South by Shockat Adam – now an MP in the Independent Alliance, who campaigned heavily on Gaza. It was a bare-knuckle fight. Ashworth claims to have received “such vitriol, bullying and intimidation”.
“Nobody likes losing an election. It’s a kick in the knackers. But at the end of the day, people wanted to give expression to their anger over what was happening in Gaza,” he says.
Ashworth claims to have noticed a growing tide turning away from him during the election, but his diagnosis remains straightforward: “It was Gaza, simple as that.”
The day we meet, Tory leadership contender Kemi Badenoch has said her main concerns lie not with Reform but with the Independent Alliance group of five pro-Gaza MPs. Could this be a rare point of agreement between the two?
“They’re just heckling from the sidelines,” Ashworth maintains. “If I was her, I’d be a bit more worried about the fact that the Tory Party is completely out of touch with the British people.
“What do they [The Independent Alliance] deliver? Make a few speeches in Parliament, a few rallies, send a few tweets.”
He adds: “Any improvements that we will begin to see over the next four to five years in Leicester – to tackle poverty, create good, well-paid jobs, deal with housing, bring waiting lists down – will be because Leicester has a Labour government, not because Leicester has some Independent MP who can, frankly, deliver jack shit.”
His first project with Labour Together has been to produce a general election review, working in partnership with No 10 and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Labour’s national campaign co-ordinator during the election, Pat McFadden. The first half of their review sets out how the party won, with a second chapter being developed to explain how Labour can retain power next time. Established as soon as the election was over, the group began work on it over the summer.
Ashworth is determined to help his Labour colleagues secure a greater win next time around: “Our burning motivation is to focus on how Labour wins a historic second term.”
I never, never write the Tories off or underestimate them
Tory attack lines since the election have often focused on Labour support being “a mile wide and inch deep”.
Although Ashworth says it is not a concern of his, the Labour Together chief recognises the electoral volatility.
“Just because the parliamentary arithmetic fell, the cards fell, in one particular way in that election, does not guarantee, by any means, that it’ll be repeated at the next general election.” He adds: “So, we’re putting a lot of thought into what the next election campaign is for the Labour Party and how it wins that next general election.”
Ashworth is in regular communication with one of his predecessors in the role at Labour Together, Morgan McSweeney, now Starmer’s right-hand man, alongside other top figures like Rachel Reeves and Angela Rayner – and occasionally Sue Gray. Although, seeing as she is Starmer’s chief of staff, “this is much more party political”.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer during his speech to party conference (Alamy)
What does he make of rumours of tension and a divide in No 10 centring around Gray?
“It’s nonsense. Of course it is,” Ashworth states plainly. Though given Labour Together is, as he puts it, “unashamedly part of the political organisation”, it is unlikely he would say if it were true.
Given that it is so intricately linked to the party proper – sending money (around £1m), staff and policy research in its direction – how much independence does he and the group actually have?
“We are Labour. Now, of course, that does not mean we are just mouthpieces for the Labour government. We say things which differ,” Ashworth says. “Where I have differences of opinion, I express them in my polite, well-mannered way.”
With a nickname of ‘Jonny Sparkle’ – minted at a socialist student conference in Sweden where the young Ashworth, due to give a keynote speech after a night of heavy refreshment, was told he needed to sparkle – does he look on at the Labour government and fear there is too much doom and gloom?
“It’s not all doom and gloom… I don’t think it feels doom and gloomy. Just honest,” he says.
Having been in the United States over the Democratic convention, Ashworth adds: “The British public will respect someone if he levels with them and is straight with them, rather than the sugary razzmatazz of Boris Johnson and others in recent times… But I know exactly what you mean. Kamala Harris is talking about joy, I’m sure there’ll be joy here as well.”
Part of the new work he is doing with Labour Together is looking at building relationships with their international party partners.
There are plans to examine both future American and Australian elections to see how their campaigning works as an incumbent; something the UK party needs to get used to.
“Across the world, incumbents face challenges. Given that we are a new government and an incumbent government, when we’ll be seeking re-election it’s absolutely vital we learn the lessons.”
He wants to formalise the collaboration, citing as an example the invitation to Starmer’s team, including McSweeney, to visit Germany to study how Olaf Scholz got elected. There should, he says, be more participation in international Labour congresses.
“Labour-friendly think tanks have not been as active in those networks as perhaps they should have been. It sort of fell by the wayside a bit in recent years… We want to see if we could host it.”
Ashworth doesn’t just want Labour Together to be studying international counterparts but also their opposition. The group is organising research into how centre-right parties are fighting their elections.
“I’m sure there’ll be some people in the Tory Party seeking to learn lessons from across the world, and I’m determined to know what lessons they are learning and be one step ahead,” he says.
The Canadian Conservatives are of particular interest, given how they rebuilt the party from electoral despair. But he doesn’t seem too worried.
“They have managed to make progress talking about housing and helping young people getting on the housing ladder. Actually, we in Labour Together are passionate about housing and very supportive of building houses. The interesting thing about the new intake in the Parliamentary Labour Party is that a lot of them deliberately and quite consciously self-style themselves as Yimbys.”
It’s a tough job, being an MP. It’s not swanning about
Although Ashworth sees a myriad of mistakes coming from the Conservatives, whether it be having “left the public finances a burning skip” or “making strategic errors and blunders” in the leadership contest, he does not see the party being destroyed any time soon.
“It’s unlikely to happen, because it is the most successful political party in Western Europe. I never, never write the Tories off or underestimate them.”
But Ashworth adds: “Nobody can trust the Tories ever again on the public finances and the economy. I think you’ll see us saying throughout this Parliament, ‘Do not give the keys back to these guys who crashed the car, because they’ve left the public finances in a state’.”
What does he make of Jeremy Hunt’s protests at being branded a liar by the Chancellor over the condition of the country’s coffers?
“Jeremy Hunt doth protest too much,” Ashworth says. “He’s the fella who’s left the public finances in that state. I know he was dealt a bad hand by Liz Truss, but this is what they’ve left.”
The Labour government’s approach is going to follow a mantra, he claims, of “prudence for prosperity”, an echo of Gordon Brown’s “prudence for a purpose”. It is an approach that Ashworth argues will be “absolutely key to the next general election”.
When we meet, talk of Labour rebellions over public spending cuts is already hotting up. Does he think, given an emphasis on a long-term approach, that would be unwise of new MPs?
“These are tough decisions and Labour MPs are going to have to back Rachel up. You’re elected to make tough decisions. This is a tough job, being an MP. It’s not swanning about and tweeting a few pictures of yourself.”
In Leicester, Ashworth’s old constituents still come up to him in the street asking him to help with bits of casework. “I try my best to help where I can with advice because I’m very community-minded,” he says, but he has to remind them that he is no longer the MP.
Would Ashworth be minded to return to Parliament if a by-election were to come about? He doesn’t rule it out.
“Well, I’m not entirely sure where life will take me,” Ashworth says.
Having described his experience of the election in Leicester South, being “chased down the street” and “shouted at and screamed at”, would he want to stand there again?
“I’ve got absolutely no idea what is around the corner, but, you know, just losing your seat. I mean, people lose their jobs every day, and people are made redundant every day. Just pick yourself up and fight again, and we’ll see where life takes me.”
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