Labour warning on Reform UK gaining ground in London

Dominic Twomey, the Labour leader of Barking and Dagenham council, has warned that the Labour Party should not become "complacent" in light of the growing support for Reform UK in London. His remarks follow a YouGov poll indicating that Nigel Farage's party is now one point ahead of Labour in voting intentions. The borough of Barking and Dagenham, where Reform UK performed well in the General Election, is one of the areas seeing this shift.

Reform UK's London Assembly member, Alex Wilson, attributed the party's rise to the failure of the establishment to address the needs of working-class people.

Twomey, who took over as leader of the east London borough after his predecessor, Darren Rodwell, stepped down, reflected on Labour’s efforts to counter the British National Party (BNP) in 2006, when the BNP won 12 council seats in Barking and Dagenham. Speaking on BBC Radio London's Meet the Leader, Twomey emphasized the importance of avoiding complacency, warning, "Do not allow a void to come where you don't talk to your residents, because someone will fill it."

Wilson rejected any comparison between his party and the BNP, noting that Nigel Farage had been instrumental in defeating the BNP. He also criticized the mayor for focusing on diversity and trivial issues rather than addressing more pressing concerns.

Twomey expressed support for Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership, but stressed that Labour must take political challenges seriously and never become complacent, as that’s when change can happen unexpectedly. Twomey will face his first council election as leader in May next year.