The North of Tyne mayor has warned there is “clearly still work to be done” before Labour can win a general election.
Amid the partygate scandals that have engulfed Boris Johnson’s Government over recent weeks, Labour has taken a consistent lead in the national polls.
But Jamie Driscoll says that his party must still “establish in people’s minds that we know what we are doing” before it can get back into power for the first time since 2010.
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The left wing mayor, labelled the country’s most powerful Corbynite after winning the inaugural North of Tyne election in 2019, has urged Sir Keir Starmer to “to take more advantage of what mayors are doing” as North East leaders try to secure an expanded devolution deal worth more than £1bn for the region.
He said: “Yes we are ahead in the polls, but not so far ahead that people are excited or complacent.
“This is one of the dodgiest Governments in history, what is going on with Boris Johnson is like something out of a sitcom – but we are not 20 or 30 points ahead, so there is clearly still work to be done.
“And a big part of that, no matter what anybody says, it always comes back to economic competence.”
Mr Driscoll added: “We have to establish in people’s minds that we know what we are doing. In the North of Tyne we have created nearly 4,500 jobs in our pipeline and safeguarded another 2,700 through Covid. That is the sort of thing that makes a difference.
“We have done that, smashed it out of the park, with a tiny budget. That is the sort of thing Labour should be talking about all over the country – and we are.
“I have talked to Keir, and Rachel Reeves, and Lisa Nandy about this and it takes a bit of time to cut through, and to be honest it is hard to get anything to cut through when you have a Prime Minister who denies going to a party.”
Some recent polls have put Labour 10 points or more ahead in the national polls, though most recent data published last week suggested that the advantage may actually be as slim as 3%.
Last May's elections in the North East were tough for Mr Starmer– losing a Parliamentary by-election in Hartlepool and ceding control of Durham County Council for the first time in a century, while also losing council seats in places like Sunderland and South Tyneside.
And he was dealt another blow in the region last week when Newcastle City Council leader Nick Forbes, a key moderate ally and prominent party figure nationally, was deselected by local members in his Arthur's Hill ward.
Former North West Durham MP recently quit Labour's governing body and accused Mr Starmer of making the party "hostile territory" for members who joined under Jeremy Corbyn.
Despite being an avowed follower of Mr Corbyn himself, Mr Driscoll says he still feels “comfortable” in Labour despite its shift in direction since the last general election in 2019.
However, he urged Mr Starmer to make a push to publish a manifesto now rather than waiting until a general election is called to reveal a policy platform to voters and said the party should “recognise that its members fund it and you want to be keeping them”.
Mr Driscoll added: “With a party like ours it is about the door knocking, leaflets, members having conversations in the pub and in the shops.
“The Labour Party thrives when it shows a bit of love to its members and tries not to make it too presidential.”
