The Labour leader has made a habit of hosting campaign
visits at lower league football clubs.
He was at Gillingham Football Club in Kent on day one of
campaigning earlier this week. Today we’ve been at Stafford Rangers FC, who are
in the Northern Premier League, Premier Division.
It’s a very deliberate campaign decision, a senior Labour
figure tells me.
There are mundane practical reasons – it’s a ready-made venue
with seating for an event. Visually it’s also very clear where you are (usually
because there’s a whopping great sign in the background – in this case
‘Stafford Rangers’.) So when local people see the
pictures on TV, they know Starmer has been in their patch.
But the party is also trying to promote the image of Sir
Keir Starmer as a football-loving, ordinary bloke.
And the reason it’s often lower league clubs? Mainly, the
senior Labour source tells me, it’s because the bigger premier league clubs are
in cities where Labour are already confident they will
win.
Their campaign is focused on smaller towns – parliamentary
seats like Stafford that they need to take off the Conservatives in order to
win a majority.
But the Labour leader will be hoping for better political
fortunes than his footballing hosts today. Stafford Rangers lost their last
game 6-0 and are being relegated.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
