Labour Party is heading for oblivion, report warns
'As well as failing to win Tory voters in sufficient numbers, Labour also failed to win Labour voters in sufficient numbers,' the report says
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Your support makes all the difference.A report into why Labour lost its own voters in the last election has revealed that it may never regain them.
New research has given further insight into why Labour lost its previous voters between the 2010 and 2015 elections.
The report, "Listening to Labour’s Lost Voters", was written by campaign specialists and long term Labour members, Alan Barnard and John Braggins.
"As well as failing to win Tory voters in sufficient numbers, Labour also failed to win Labour voters in sufficient numbers," it said.
Labour's leadership, the economy, and immigration were the biggest reasons why Labour supporters voted for other parties in the recent elections.
"On Labour’s current trajectory, more of the same will ultimately lead to oblivion," the report stated. The party needs to "completely overhaul itself," it said.
The findings are based on 10 discussion groups with former Labour supporters which took place between May and June.
The focus groups were made up of men and women, aged between 30 and 65 and in some form of employment.
They were previously regular Labour voters who voted for the party in 2010. All of the participants voted in 2015 but only two voted for Labour, and with serious reservations.
Most of the people questioned voted Conservative in the last election. A few voted for UKIP because they "couldn’t bring themselves to vote Tory given their and their families’ Labour-voting history," the report said.
"My Dad would be rolling in his grave if he knew I voted Tory", was a common sentiment from those questioned.
One voter said: "We’re in different places now. My parents used to vote Labour, but we’ve changed and Labour needs to change to join us."
The groups were based in five of Labour's target seat areas from the last election, Halesowen and Rowley Regis, Croydon Central, Southampton Itchen, Watford, and Pudsey, all of which are Conservative.
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