Labour leader might be pushing his luck if he thinks he can generate interest in local elections this soon
There’s early and there’s early. The Scottish and Welsh parliamentary elections – along with the English mayoral and local elections – aren’t happening until 6 May, but, for reasons best known to themselves, Labour reckoned that early March was the ideal time to start its campaign. Judging by the hourlong launch event, they might be pushing their luck to keep people interested for the best part of two months.
The show opened with the deputy leader, Angela Rayner, introducing various videos. First an old black and white clip of a steam train with a shoutout to Harold Wilson – not sure how much name recognition he will get amongst younger voters – then clips of the new Scottish leader, Anas Sarwar, the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, and several other candidates seeking election. The Welsh clip started as a tourist promotional film, complete with melancholy piano soundtrack, of the coastal path and ended with an appearance from first minister Mark Drakeford.
