Up next in 10
LBC caller Claire is asked whether Labour is still the party for the 'ordinary, working class person'. Her answer impresses Shelagh Fogarty... Listen to the full show on the all-new LBC App: https://app.af.lbc.co.uk/btnc/thenewlbcapp #shelaghfogarty #labour #workingclass #ukpolitics #LBC LBC is the home of live debate around news and current affairs in the UK. Join in the conversation and listen at https://www.lbc.co.uk/ Sign up to LBC’s weekly newsletter here: https://l-bc.co/signup
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
I think Labour are definitely the part of work
0:02
I think they've proved that, you know, quite demonstratively. And I think the country's been brainwashed, basically
0:10
by right-wing media setting the agenda every single day. I mean, Labour MPs go out every morning and they announce what they're doing
0:20
and then it just never gets amplified by the media later on
0:25
And, you know, when Conservatives are in government, There's all the right-wing newspapers that amplify what they're doing
0:34
I mean, can I just say the first thing Labour did, what was the first thing Labour did when they got into office
0:39
The very first thing that they did. The very first thing that they did was to sit down with train drivers and rail workers
0:47
and hash out a deal and a pay rise and better terms and conditions. They then sorted out the nurses' pay for the first time in over a decade and doctors' pay
0:57
They then raised the minimum wage. They then saved steel jobs at the Shorpe Steel Plan, which was about to close, and saved thousands of jobs
1:07
They then put more money into apprenticeships. They've just started construction courses for young people
1:13
They've also started breakfast clubs to allow parents to get to work on time
1:17
They've also expanded free childcare places. They've also expanded nursery places that best start schools
1:23
They've also announced workers' rights. They've also announced renters' rights. They've also created less tariffs for the car industry
1:33
The car industry was on the verge of closing when Donald Trump first announced his tariffs
1:39
And people would have lost their jobs. And Keir Starmer saved those, reduced those tariffs, which saved the car industry
1:47
And the laughable thing of all of this is that Nigel Farage has convinced people of this myth of reform
1:56
that he is for the working class And yet he has explicitly said he wants to scrap all those things that Labour have brought in that help working class workers young families the child cap
2:11
the expanded childcare places, and the workers' rights, and the union rights
2:21
That's what, I mean, people wouldn't have all the rights they have now
2:25
in work if it wasn't for Labour. Labour brought them in originally and now they're expanding them
2:31
Workers wouldn't have any rights if it wasn't for Labour. So, of course, they're the workers' party
2:36
Well, you've set out a list for us there beautifully, if I may say, Claire
2:42
And I will say, I think you're right about some aspects of the media
2:46
but we have covered every single one of those things that you have raised
2:50
and we have discussed them at length. Some issues we've covered repeatedly
2:54
I look at things like breakfast clubs. We've covered childcare repeatedly, nursery expansion
3:00
We've covered the child benefit cap and talked about that. We've covered renters' rights, housing
3:05
You know, we have covered all of those things. And sometimes we've done it through a critical lens and a challenging lens that says
3:12
what are the knock-on effects of this for the wider economy or your housing targets
3:16
How are you going to do it? And I agree with you. They have done all of those things that you've said
3:21
And yet, electorally, they're very unpopular. Why do you think that is
3:26
I really do think, and I'm not aiming this at you at all, Sheila
3:31
but, I mean, you're one person in the group. No, but I'm not the only person covering it
3:35
Because I see the media every day. I see all kinds of aspects of the media
3:39
and all of those things are covered in the media. Well, I listen to Current Affairs all day, every day
3:47
and I just can't agree with you. It's just wall-to-wall criticism. I mean it quite overt I mean even James you know agrees with that I mean it just it unhinged It really I mean that why James has his unhinged headline I mean it really is unhinged at times you know just how biased it is And I just don think Labour are getting a look in
4:10
And I think, I mean, why is it that people believe that reform are on the side of working class
4:18
when it's just so explicitly not the truth? I mean, why is that
4:23
How can that be if it isn't for it being propagated by the media
4:27
Well, they're not only losing votes to reform, are they? They're losing votes to the Lib Dems and to the Greens
4:34
And the Greens are arguably a bigger threat to them because they're the party on the left
4:38
But can I ask you this? I don't dispute that there are very particular ways
4:46
that some people cover stories in the media to disfavour a particular group
4:51
And, you know, let's, for the sake of argument, say that... And most of the media is owned by right-wing sort of billionaires
4:58
You know, you've got to agree with that, the newspapers. But I'm not just talking about the newspapers
5:03
The media isn't just newspapers by any means. But the newspaper headlines set the agenda that you talk about
5:10
No, they don't. They don't. They don't. I routinely do stories, and I know you don't just mean me
5:15
but I'll just give you an example of how media works. We don't come in in the morning and say
5:19
which aspects of labour can we talk about today? We come into work and we know already that there's
5:28
been an announcement or somebody has resigned or a set of elections, local elections for example
5:33
have come in and we have to assess what they mean and we talk about what they mean and we ask you
5:37
what they mean. That's how we do it. It isn't because Lord Duda, who owns the Telegraph, has
5:43
put something on the front page it isn't and and a lot of it is looking at um granular research
5:49
into what people are saying the more in common the you the you gov polls and all of that that's
5:54
what prompts our conversations it isn't what's on the front of the telegraph or the mail but can i
5:58
just ask you this you know like you know the the national insurance increase that labor gave and how that has been touted almost every single day as being the reason for Armageddon in the economy despite the fact that the economy has actually
6:14
been, you know, been growing against all predictions. And everyone seems to blame it
6:25
on the national insurance rise. And yet I've not heard once anyone mention the fact that
6:31
Boris Johnson increased it. No one mentioned it there. And then Rishi Sunak reduced it right before the election
6:39
And so Labour are only putting it back up to where, you know, to again..
6:45
Well, Labour, but then again, you have to take leadership at its word
6:49
And Keir Starmer said repeatedly, and every one of his party in the campaign for the general election said repeatedly
6:58
there will be no new taxes on working people. and just because you add the word business to something doesn't mean it's a rich person
7:04
Most of the businesses in this country are just ordinary working people running a business
7:09
And that tax, whether you're for it or against it, it's just a fact
7:13
That tax has put a lot of pressure on businesses. But why wasn't that mentioned before
7:19
Why wasn't that mentioned before when the Tories put it up? We've talked about it many times. We have. It is
7:26
Not when Boris Johnson put it up. Yes, it would have been, Victoria. Claire, sorry, it would have been
7:32
Because when we cover budgets, for example, or spring statements, of course, all of that is gone into
7:36
It really is. I mean, I take your point about some of the newspaper headlines
7:40
but we do not follow the lead of the newspaper headlines. You know, the world of media is a very different one
7:47
than the one you describe, I think. I don't doubt there's still some power in the newspapers
7:50
but it's not the only place where you can get information. Didn't even mention social media in that mix as well
7:56
But Claire, thank you. And I think your list of the positives is a strong one
8:01
I mean, some people would push back against some of those positives because of the knock-on effects they have on other things
8:07
But you're right to say they are an attempt to represent working people
#news