Liam Thorp

Helens, which is in Merseyside.

It's very different from Liverpool, where I am now.

It's a post-industrial town.

A lot of jobs and industry have gone from that area.

And that's the kind of place where we are seeing reform do well.

We have seen them in the last local elections.

I expect them to do very well in places like St.

Helens.

This year in May, it's a kind of classic Labour run town in the Red Wall.

Labour have pretty much held the council for most of the time since it was formed in 1974.

Having spoke to everyone on the streets there and to council people, I think that reform will at least be the largest party, if not take full control.

I'm sure you guys are aware of the idea of Merseyside, particularly Liverpool, is not somewhere that you would expect generally for right-wing populism to do well.

And I think it shows that they are finding inroads into all sorts of areas, mainly because people are disaffected, mainly because people feel a bit left behind.

When I was on the streets in St.

Helens talking to people, what really kind of surprised me was there wasn't like massive love for Nigel Farage, but they were so, so fed up of establishment politics.

And I have to say incredibly negative about Keir Starmer and the Labour Party that they just felt it was ready time to give someone else a go.

And I sort of tried to casually point to them that it's not just giving someone a go.

This is an extremely potentially divisive politician that could be quite dangerous for a lot of people living in this country.

but this kind of slightly blasé approach of like, we just need to give someone else a go.

Certainly coming away from that vox pop with people in St Helens, I did feel that way.