Pages

Sunday, February 09, 2025

Labour giving Farage credibility by copycat adverts

The Mirror reports that Labour has launched adverts boasting about deporting migrants using the colour and branding of Nigel Farage's Reform UK party, failing to include any iconic Labour red nor the red Labour rose logo.

The paper says that instead the ads use the turquoise blue - and the straight-edged font - of Reform UK:

One Facebook page set up under Reform UK's colours is the UK Migration Updates, which is run for by the Yorkshire and Humber Labour party. It posts stories and updates celebrating Labour's deportation figures. The account appears to have become active at the start of January.

And a Reform UK-style attack ad has been posted on a Facebook page called Putting Runcorn First, which is run by Labour North West. It has a banner at the top reading "breaking news", with a caption saying: "Labour hits five-year high in migrant removals. Labour government removes a record 16,400 illegal migrants since taking power including 2,580 foreign criminals."

It is not a new tactic for Labour to tailor its campaigning material depending on the region, demographic or subject matter of the ad. Similarly it is not unknown for other parties to use Labour's signature red in attack ads against the party. But it is the first time the use of Reform UK's colour as a deliberate choice has been so explicitly noticed, illustrating Labour's shift in starting to take Mr Farage's party more seriously.

Such targeted advertising is being rolled out in areas where Reform UK could pose a threat, such as constituencies where the party came in second place to Labour at the general election. It comes after Reform UK topped the UK's polls for the first time earlier this week. Elsewhere in the country Labour has used targeted ads to challenge the Tories or the Green party.

Some social media users did not look favourably on the tactics. Commenting on a post the UK Migration Updates, Facebook user Nicholas Graham said: "This page is absolutely disgraceful in branding values and message. If the Labour Party really has no higher ambition than to be mistaken for the witless rabble of Reform, you have thrown away whatever moral compass you may once have had."

Another user Anna Hubbard: "Appalling. You can't out Reform Reform. Stop pandering."

This really is scraping the barrel by Labour.

No comments:

Post a Comment

I am happy to address most contributions, even the drunken ones if they are coherent, but I am not going to engage with negative sniping from those who do not have the guts to add their names or a consistent on-line identity to their comments. Such postings will not be published.

Anonymous comments with a constructive contribution to make to the discussion, even if it is critical will continue to be posted. Libellous comments or remarks I think may be libellous will not be published.

I will also not tolerate personation so please do not add comments in the name of real people unless you are that person. If you do not like these rules then start your own blog.

Oh, and if you persist in repeating yourself despite the fact I have addressed your point I may get bored and reject your comment.

The views expressed in comments are those of the poster, not me.