Two Labour manifesto authors join forces to warn against tribalism
Two Labour policy figures who previously authored competing manifestos have announced they are joining forces to forge new ideas for a future government. Mathew Lawrence, director of Common Wealth and author of the Manchesterism essay, and Mark McVitie, author of the Labour Growth Group’s An Honest Day, said Labour urgently needs a serious intellectual debate about its direction rather than simply a change of personality. Their intervention follows a week in which senior Labour figures including Andy Burnham, Wes Streeting, and Keir Starmer responded with their own essays to a highly critical intervention by Tony Blair. Lawrence and McVitie published a joint essay in the New Statesman on Tuesday, in which they rejected the idea of “tribes” such as blue Labour, New Labour, and soft left. They stated they found common ground in opposing high everyday costs and predatory capitalism, and that any future prime minister should grapple with serious policy instead of the “desert of ideas” in Labour while in opposition. Lawrence is an influential ally of Burnham, while McVitie’s group chair, Chris Curtis, endorsed Streeting’s leadership. The pair said the last week showed how quickly serious debate gets pulled back into old tribal arguments, and that something new is forming in Labour.
What’s reported
Mathew Lawrence wrote the Manchesterism essay (The Productive State) arguing for sweeping new public control of essential utilities.
Mark McVitie wrote the Labour Growth Group’s An Honest Day.
Their essays were previously described as competing visions for a Burnham- or Streeting-led government.
They said Labour must reject tribalism and find common ground on opposing high everyday costs and predatory capitalism.
They published a joint essay in the New Statesman on Tuesday.
Lawrence said the “false calm” in which dissent was crushed had hindered the operation of the government.
McVitie said the next phase of Labour in government should reject old tribal arguments.
The pair stated their diagnosis is the same: Britain pays too much for basics because the state has lost control.
Key figures
Mathew Lawrence – director of Common Wealth, author of the Manchesterism essay, influential ally of Andy Burnham.
Mark McVitie – director of the Labour Growth Group, author of An Honest Day.
Andy Burnham – senior Labour figure to whom one manifesto was linked.
Wes Streeting – senior Labour figure to whom the other manifesto was linked (endorsed by LGG chair).
Keir Starmer – senior Labour figure who responded to Tony Blair’s intervention.
Tony Blair – former prime minister whose critical intervention prompted responses.
Chris Curtis – chair of the Labour Growth Group, endorsed Streeting’s leadership.
Sources: The Guardian
