Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves says it is “awful” to see former ‘Red Wall’ seats in the North now being held by the Conservatives.
Ms Reeves was speaking on a visit to Northumberland, meeting reporters in the Blyth Valley constituency won by Ian Levy in the 2019 General Election. The seat had been a Labour stronghold for decades, but its switch to the Conservatives was one of the standout results of a night that saw dozens of formerly safe Labour seats turn blue.
Labour has won back a few of those seats at by-elections since the 2019 election and opinion polls have them on target to return to its power base in the North. Upcoming local elections in May will offer a yardstick on the party’s progress in the region.
