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| Labour to address voters' immigration concerns after Eastleigh byelection | Labour to address voters' immigration concerns after Eastleigh byelection |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Labour is to redouble its efforts to meet voters' concerns over the impact on EU migration on jobs and living standards in the wake of what was being seen as a rebuff for Ed Miliband's "one nation" appeal in the Eastleigh byelection. | Labour is to redouble its efforts to meet voters' concerns over the impact on EU migration on jobs and living standards in the wake of what was being seen as a rebuff for Ed Miliband's "one nation" appeal in the Eastleigh byelection. |
| On Thursday evening, as the polls closed, Labour was expecting to come fourth with its vote squeezed by an insurgent Ukip taking votes from all three main parties. Similar fears about the impact of the Ukip vote were being expressed at Conservative headquarters. | On Thursday evening, as the polls closed, Labour was expecting to come fourth with its vote squeezed by an insurgent Ukip taking votes from all three main parties. Similar fears about the impact of the Ukip vote were being expressed at Conservative headquarters. |
| Miliband is to devote a party political broadcast to immigration next Wednesday ahead of a speech by the shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper. He has made two speeches on immigration as party leader admitting Labour's mistakes in office, and Cooper has called for stronger action in the labour market to help young unemployed. | |
| Labour officials insist the plans for a fresh initiative have been in the pipeline, but shadow cabinet members and senior campaign officials report immigration was the single biggest national issue on the Eastleigh doorstep. At campaign's outset Labour was polling a strong third in a seat in which it came second only three general elections ago. "We have to ask why Ukip surged and we did not," said one shadow cabinet member. "If this continues to a general election, it makes results in a lot of seats much less predictable." | |
| Miliband had said that Eastleigh was a chance to show there were no no-go areas for "One Nation Labour", but the party appeared to cut back its commitment once it realised it could not prise apart the strong Liberal Democrat support in the seat. The Lib Dems poured unprecedented resources into the byelection in a bid to show it can see off Tory attacks in the 15 or so Lib Dem-held seats the Conservatives want to capture in 2015. | Miliband had said that Eastleigh was a chance to show there were no no-go areas for "One Nation Labour", but the party appeared to cut back its commitment once it realised it could not prise apart the strong Liberal Democrat support in the seat. The Lib Dems poured unprecedented resources into the byelection in a bid to show it can see off Tory attacks in the 15 or so Lib Dem-held seats the Conservatives want to capture in 2015. |
| The Tories attracted criticism on voting day for handing out an election leaflet in Ukip's colours – purple and yellow. The policies spelled out in the leaflet also echoed many of the messages Ukip has been trying to hammer home. | The Tories attracted criticism on voting day for handing out an election leaflet in Ukip's colours – purple and yellow. The policies spelled out in the leaflet also echoed many of the messages Ukip has been trying to hammer home. |
| On Europe it claimed: "Maria Hutchings and the Conservatives want to give you an in/out referendum." On immigration: "The Conservatives want tough targets for further cuts." And on welfare: "The Conservatives want further changes to make our welfare system even fairer." | On Europe it claimed: "Maria Hutchings and the Conservatives want to give you an in/out referendum." On immigration: "The Conservatives want tough targets for further cuts." And on welfare: "The Conservatives want further changes to make our welfare system even fairer." |
| Lisa Duffy, Ukip's campaign director, said: "I feel it's quite a compliment for Ukip that they need to use our colours. Clearly we're a threat." | Lisa Duffy, Ukip's campaign director, said: "I feel it's quite a compliment for Ukip that they need to use our colours. Clearly we're a threat." |
| A member of Labour's campaign staff said: "Ukip has managed to get what was once the protest vote that went to the Liberal Democrats before they went into government, but migration has been the single biggest protest issue. It's not migration as a cultural, but as an economic issue – the fear that EU migration and the Romanians means jobs will be lost and living standards will decline even more." | A member of Labour's campaign staff said: "Ukip has managed to get what was once the protest vote that went to the Liberal Democrats before they went into government, but migration has been the single biggest protest issue. It's not migration as a cultural, but as an economic issue – the fear that EU migration and the Romanians means jobs will be lost and living standards will decline even more." |
| The campaign claims Labour can learn broader lessons on messaging from Eastleigh. "It was a classic southern seat in which we have not been around for a long time." | The campaign claims Labour can learn broader lessons on messaging from Eastleigh. "It was a classic southern seat in which we have not been around for a long time." |
| Writing for the Guardian, Patrick Diamond, the 2010 Labour manifesto co-ordinator, and an expert on the party's struggles to attract southern voters, urged the party to reveal more policy grit on the economy. "Eastleigh was never a seat Labour could expect to win, having come third in 2010. But Labour has to show it is capable of getting a hearing here to have a chance of general election victory. | |
| "The test in Eastleigh, as elsewhere in the south, is whether voters understand what one nation Labour is about. Labour must show it understands the tight fiscal context. Most voters in the squeezed middle believe the burden of tax on average incomes is high enough. Labour should say so." | |
| A defeat for Nick Clegg would put very serious pressure on his party leadership for the first time. | A defeat for Nick Clegg would put very serious pressure on his party leadership for the first time. |