Labour needs to back tighter immigration controls and a manufacturing revolution to save party, major donor warns
John Mills says the party will lose over 100 MPs at the next election unless it reconnects with working-class voters
LABOUR will lose 100 MPs at the next Election unless it backs tighter immigration controls and a manufacturing revolution, the party’s biggest private donor claims.
John Mills said Labour would be “finished” as a political force unless it reconnects with blue-collar Brits who voted in droves to back a Brexit.
He said Labour had to back restrictions on the huge numbers of EU nationals able to come to Britain.
The multi-millionaire – who has ploughed a fortune into Labour coffers – said he backed an Aussie-style points system to limit new arrivals while allowing highly-skilled foreigners across the Border.
And he called for a second industrial revolution to entice manufacturers to relocate to the UK and create more jobs for working class people.
“If we don’t do this, the Labour party is going to be finished,” he said.
The blast came as the tycoon – who campaigned for a Brexit in the Referendum – launched Labour Future, a new group aimed at coming up with policies to win back its core vote.
He said: “Labour has to reconnect with the vast number of blue-collar workers, which it is in danger of losing permanently. The party has drifted away from its industrial heartlands.”
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“Left of centre people must unify under the Labour banner and collectively move on from the distractions of the leadership election, otherwise we could lose as many as 100 seats at the next Election.
“It would relegate Labour permanently to minority party status.”
The blast came as YouGov showed Jeremy Corbyn was on course for a landslide victory in the leadership contest with Owen Smith.
The arch leftie is polling at 62 per cent in survey of Labour party members.
Separately the pollsters revealed around a third of the pre 2015 membership will leave if Jeremy Corbyn is re-elected.
John Mills said if anything Jeremy Corbyn was “possibly” closer than Owen Smith to his vision for Labour – but both would be unable to take back power from the Tories in 2020.
He said: “At the moment the Labour party has nothing to offer anybody of any real substance in terms of economic policy. It hasn’t got a credible policy.”