Is Labour ‘mimicking’ Reform UK in its new Facebook ads?

By Michael Baggs (with Emily, Jon and Lewis)

Labour have faced criticism – including from its own MPs – for a series of Facebook adverts using Reform UK colours, no Labour logo and focusing on the number of migrants deported from the UK.

Read time: 4 mins

In brief…

• Diane Abbott has accused Labour of making a “sharp rightward turn on race and migration” with a series of Facebook ads, which could be considered misleading due to the colour scheme used.
• Labour MP Jake Richards tells The News Agents British people are “fearful and anxious” about migration in the UK, and getting tough on people arriving from overseas is “the right thing to do”.
• The News Agents say the problem with echoing Reform UK policy on migrants is the question of what else Labours would be willing to take lead from Nigel Farage and co on.

Labour MP Jake Richards says politicians aren't angry enough about immigration

What’s the story?

Tory blue, Labour red, Lib Dem yellow, Green Party green – those are the rules, and since 2024 Nigel Farage and Richard Tice have claimed a turquoise shade for Reform UK.

So it was an odd choice for the Labour government to run a series of Facebook adverts in turquoise, especially when they were focused on migration deportation numbers in the UK, a key focus of Reform.

Labour has also run unbranded Facebook adverts prominently featuring the Union Jack, with Labour sources saying the goal is to appeal to Labour voters who are considering switching allegiances to Farage, Tice and co.

There has been criticism of the adverts by groups such as Amnesty International UK, which has said ad campaigns such as this could impact the dignity and respect offered to migrants in the UK.

And, of course, there has been widespread discussion of the colour choice, and Labour's apparent decision to "mimic" Reform UK – including by Labour MP Diane Abbott.

"This sharp rightward turn on race and migration comes at the same time of the emergence of a number of groups of backbench Labour MPs demanding more aggressive anti-immigrant messaging from the party," Abbott writes for The Guardian.

Emily Maitlis says the counter-argument to Abbott's point is that she needs to "get with the plot."

"She has to see what a threat Reform UK is, and she has to recognise that if voters – Labour voters or non-Labour voters – are saying that immigration is a big issue the party of government has to respond to that."

How have Labour responded to the backlash?

Jake Richards, Labour MP for Rother Valley, tells The News Agents the backlash is not "fair criticism" because the Reform UK brand or colours are not "developed" or "famous" yet in the UK.

He recommends speaking to Labour's head of branding instead of him for a more detailed response.

Richards says Labour is pushing tougher migration rules not just to win votes, but because it is "the right thing to do".

"Levels of immigration are completely unsustainable. At the moment in this country, there is a consensus about that across the political spectrum.

He says British people are "fearful and anxious" by the UK's "completely uncontrolled" borders, saying they don't know who is arriving on UK shores.

"That is a very scary and actually, frankly, completely unacceptable position to be in as a major country."

He adds that some UK politicians are not angry enough about the UK's migration situation, and that it is an "absolute necessity for Labour to show the public it is taking its concerns seriously.

Labour MP defends 'Reform colour' Facebook ads

Why are Labour mimicking Reform UK – and what's the danger?

A recent YouGov poll showed Reform UK as the top voting choice for people in the UK for the first time – which some also was the reason behind a tough new line on migrants from the Conservatives.

But, The News Agents ask, if the Labour party are copying Reform on this, where does it stop, once it has started?

"You have to recognise that the party of Reform is about immigration, plus leaving the European Convention on Human Rights. It doesn't really want to take any refugees either. It's also the party of dog whistle language," says Emily.

"Of course you can say you want to control your borders, of course you want to bring the numbers of immigration down, of course you don't want to let people who aren't paying taxes come here, rent free.

"But how far do they go down that line before they start losing who they are, because the voters can just choose Reform if that's what they want."

What's The News Agents' take?

Emily says that Reform is also putting pressure on Labour from both the right and the left of politics, with calls to keep UK steelworks open despite enormous struggles within the industry or to re-nationalise the water industry – both of which might once have been considered areas Labour would campaign on.

She adds that Labour needs to counter these threats from either side, and not simply "mimic" Reform policy as a quick fix to keep some voters happy.

"Whatever Labour want to do, or think they need to do, Reform will always want to go harder," she says.

"They had supporters back in the summer who were threatening to burn down hotels with immigrants inside."

Jon Sopel adds that there is a danger, however, that some people will assume that everything Reform UK are suggesting must be wrong, just because they are Reform UK.

"I think there is a possibility that on some of these issues, they are tapping into widespread concerns," he says.

"And there is nothing more deadly for a political party than to say to voters, I'm sorry you're wrong on this. If only you read a little bit more, you would understand that we are right with our exalted ideas."

Listen to the latest episode of The News Agents

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