Labour Must Abandon Two-Party Nostalgia and Embrace Cross-Party Cooperation Against Reform
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/johnharris. "Labour is nostalgic for two-party politics. That cosy, simple time is over – let it go | John Harris | The Guardian." September 27, 2026. www.theguardian.com
The Gist
John Harris argues that Labour's dream of returning to the old days of dominant two-party politics is out of touch with reality—British politics has permanently fractured into multiple competitive parties. He says that instead of fighting the Greens, Lib Dems, and others for scraps of the 'progressive' vote, Labour and other left-leaning parties need to actually work together, or else the divided opposition will keep handing power to Farage and the far right.
Conclusion
Labour's hope of returning to monopolistic two-party dominance is misguided and dangerous; instead, progressive parties must cooperate to defeat Reform UK and the far right in a permanently fragmented multiparty landscape.
Premises
- The UK has structurally shifted into a multiparty system because society and the economy are too complex to be captured by a two-party model, regardless of the first-past-the-post voting system.
- Electoral evidence supports this: Labour lost Wales to Plaid Cymru with just 11% of the vote, the SNP remains dominant in Scotland, and traditional Tory areas in the home counties have swung to the Lib Dems.
- Current polling (YouGov) shows a fragmented four-way split (Labour 23%, Tories/Reform tied at 21%, Greens 14%, Lib Dems 12%) with an MRP model forecasting a hung parliament and Labour dropping to 241 seats.
- Despite this fragmentation, Labour and the Conservatives cling to the belief that they should each monopolise their respective halves of the political spectrum.
- Reform UK's Nigel Farage is the primary beneficiary of this fragmented, tribal political landscape, and could further consolidate right-wing power through alliances with the Tories and Restore Britain.
- Groups like Compass argue that a 'progressive majority' exists but is being split by an outdated electoral system, inadvertently clearing a path for Reform to win with minority support.
- Andy Burnham has previously shown openness to proportional representation and collaborative, less adversarial politics, suggesting a viable alternative path exists but has not yet been fully embraced by Labour.
Assumptions
- A 'progressive majority' genuinely exists and would translate into electoral success if unified.
- Cross-party cooperation among progressive parties is achievable without alienating voters or looking like political stitch-ups.
- Multiparty fragmentation is a permanent structural feature rather than a temporary or cyclical phenomenon.
- Reform UK and Farage represent a uniquely dangerous 'far-right' threat that justifies unusual political cooperation.
- Labour's electoral strategy and internal culture are still oriented toward two-party dominance rather than coalition-building.
- Voters are not solely responsible for anti-Reform coordination; party elites bear the burden of enabling cooperation.