#benbradshaw

WMN on Sunday | 31 May 2015

The only way for Labour in the Westcountry is up, according to deputy leadership hopeful Ben Bradshaw, as the party seeks to cash in on the Lib Dem’s defeat.

The Exeter MP, who has served his constituency for almost two decades, refuses to be cowed by his party’s recent poor performance at the polls.

Instead, he is ramping up his campaign for deputy leader and laying the groundwork for a Labour victory in 2020.

The former journalist-turned-politician was one of the few Labour candidates to increase his majority in May’s election – trebling his lead while many of his colleagues lost their seats.

Speaking to the Western Morning News about this extraordinary result, Mr Bradshaw suggested it was a “magic mix” of practical policies, hard work and visibility which helped secure his place.

“Essentially it’s been a combination of good organisation and sensible, progressive centre-left politics, practised both by me and Exeter’s Labour council over the years,” he said.

“Also, the one thing everyone in Exeter knows about me is that they can see me around on my bike, and I try to respond swiftly to constituents’ concerns.

“We’ve transformed what used to be a safe Conservative seat into a pretty safe Labour one, which is not something you can do overnight.

“But that doesn’t mean it can’t be replicated elsewhere – you’ve just got to have the right strategy, the right leadership and the right candidate.”

While many Labour supporters in Devon and Cornwall have become disheartened in the face of a Conservative “blue wash”, Mr Bradshaw senses opportunity. In particular, he believes the party to establish a hold in former Liberal Democrat constituencies.

“We came second in most of the Parliamentary seats in the region, so I think there’s real opening for Labour to build a presence in some of those rural areas where we haven’t had any representation for a long time,” he explained. “Clearly we need to work hard and fight back in Plymouth, but I think the only way is up for us in the region now. And I think the Lib Dems having completely collapsed does present Labour with a very strong opportunity.”

Following Ed Miliband’s resignation as Labour party leader, there was much discussion about whether Mr Bradshaw could be a contender for the role. But after dismissing this possibility, he launched a bid for the deputy leadership position, and support for his campaign is growing.

“I thought very carefully about this and decided that in six months or a year’s time if I hadn’t at least had a go it might have been something I regretted,” he said.