Labour’s attack ads may already be backfiring

‘Poor taste,’ said Julie, ‘Really desperate,’ added Shawn. Mark thought it was ‘A low blow’ and Becky was simply ‘gobsmacked’. That was the verdict of our focus group participants in Erewash in Derbyshire last week when they were shown Labour’s controversial advert suggesting Rishi Sunak did not believe that those convicted of sexually assaulting children should go to prison. 

Labour’s shadow health secretary Wes Streeting has defended the advert and suggested ‘There’s more to come’. But based on the feedback of voters, if these adverts are to mark the start of a more aggressive approach, the spinners at Labour HQ might want to think again. 

Because this was not a group of pearl-clutching snowflakes, but instead encapsulated middle England’s tendency towards fair-mindedness and fair play. Indeed, more problematic for Labour, several participants felt that the advert was an attempt to mislead them: as Shawn pointed out: ‘It’s not up to him, is it? He’s not the jury, he’s not the crown court.