Why I'm blue Labour and why the state must be brave again

I am Labour, and I am Blue Labour because I believe politics must once again be rooted in responsibility, contribution and the courage to confront difficult truths.

I was born and raised in the constituency I now represent. The community I grew up in was held together not by slogans or initiatives, but by relationships. As children, many of us attended activities run by the local church, the Ark. We came from different backgrounds and faiths, but we went because the doors were open and the purpose was clear – caring for each other’s children.

My father never questioned it. He respected the church because he recognised something deeper than difference, humanity. Later, when he became president of one of the largest gurdwaras in the country, I watched him live out those same values, working with churches, synagogues, mosques and mandirs, opening doors, welcoming people in. Community was not about identity politics; it was about duty to one another.

That instinct ran through everything he did. He unionised the factory where he worked after standing up to a pay racket that forced workers to hand over part of their wages to those in senior positions. He paid a personal price for speaking out, but he did not back down and was later made foreman. Fairness and solidarity, not difference, were his guiding principles. I live by them.

That upbringing explains my politics far better than any label. But Blue Labour is the tradition that best reflects it: rooted, relational and serious about responsibility.

I am a former councillor, cabinet member and a former children’s services manager. I have worked inside the system, responsible for safeguarding vulnerable children. I know from experience that when the state fails, it is rarely because of a lack of policy. It fails because of a lack of courage, clarity and leadership. That is what we must recover.

That is why Labour must be unflinching about crimes such as grooming gangs. Institutional failure did not happen by accident. It happened because too many people were afraid of difficult conversations, worried about reputational risk, or paralysed by process. These crimes must be exposed and punished wherever they occur and at every level.

Protecting children must always come before political sensitivity. That is not a Right-wing position. It is a moral obligation, and Labour in government must be strong enough to meet it.

The same moral clarity is needed when it comes to women’s sex-based rights. Women are not a minority interest group. We are half the population. Yet women are increasingly expected to explain, defend or apologise for single-sex spaces and biological reality.

I will not do that.

Women’s safety, dignity and equality are non-negotiable. Leadership means being prepared to say so clearly, even when it attracts criticism. The public expects clarity, responsibility and decisions that can be understood, defended and delivered.

Blue Labour also insists on honesty about borders and belonging. Britain is a welcoming country, but it must also be a lawful one. Illegal migration is illegal and it matters that the public can see the law being enforced fairly and consistently. When housing, health and education are under strain, ignoring this reality corrodes trust in the state itself.

Contribution is the foundation of the social contract. People are willing to give when they believe the system will be there when they need it. When that balance breaks down, social cohesion and solidarity weakens. We can see that happening in communities across the country.

That is why competence in government matters. I have seen how public services succeed and how they fail. The Civil Service exists to deliver for the public.

Accountability, performance and transparency are not managerial obsessions; they are democratic necessities. A Labour government must be confident enough to lead the machinery of the state, not be captured by it.

Keir Starmer is right to insist that government must be focused on delivery and outcomes. His emphasis on discipline, seriousness and competence is exactly what the public expects after years of failure. Government should be judged not by announcements, but by what is actually delivered, where, and with what impact.

Experienced politicians – those who have governed locally, worked in public services, and spent time in opposition – understand how hard delivery really is. That experience should be valued.

Economic renewal must be treated with the same seriousness. An industrial strategy cannot be a slogan. It must be driven from the centre and rooted in place. Regions should have clear specialisms and pride in what they produce. In the West Midlands, that means building on industrial strength, skills and manufacturing to create secure jobs and long-term prosperity.

Growth must be visible in people’s lives, not merely measured in Whitehall.

I want a Labour government that governs with confidence. One that protects children without fear, defends women without apology, enforces the law fairly, and delivers economic renewal with purpose. Shabana Mahmood has shown what that leadership looks like, serious about public safety, clear about the rule of law, and rooted in the communities she represents. Thinkers such as Maurice Glasman have long argued that Labour must recover this moral seriousness if it is to govern well.

I want this Labour Government to succeed not by avoiding hard choices, but by meeting them with confidence and clarity.

Blue Labour is not about turning away from the future. It is about anchoring progress in the values that once allowed families like mine to contribute, belong and build a future. Confidence in our Labour tradition is the way ahead and it is a tradition worth fighting for.