Katy Balls Katy Balls

Labour’s shadow cabinet – not coming to a town near you

Usually in a general election campaign, MPs in marginal seats invite high profile party figures to their constituencies in a bid to generate interest from the local media and win over swing voters. This is certainly what’s happening when it comes to the Tory campaign — from Theresa May downwards, Conservative ministers have been busy touring the country over the past few weeks.

For Labour, however, the goal posts are a bit different this election. MPs are faced with a quandary over whether or not to extend an invitation to the party’s high command. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, a visit reinforces the Conservative message that the prospect of a Labour government is real (and undermines some MPs’ claims that it is safe to vote for them personally as Corbyn won’t be Prime Minister come June 9).

Secondly, the majority of politicians who make up Labour’s shadow cabinet are not so much the party’s best and brightest, as those who were on the ‘subs bench’ and shuffled onto the pitch when other players declined. The varying quality of Labour’s front bench can be witnessed in the string of disastrous policy interviews that have been given by the likes of Diane Abbott and Rebecca Long-Bailey in recent weeks.

Given the division some of these figures cause among voters, it’s understandable that a number of MPs who are fighting off a threat from the Tories don’t think they will be best served by a visit from Richard Burgon. As with anything, there are a few exceptions. In general, the more popular (and often more moderate) shadow cabinet members — like Andrew Gwynne, Jonathan Ashworth, Ian Lavery, Keir Starmer, and Angela Rayner — have been getting out and about more.

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