Labour's Sadiq Khan pens open letter in bid to woo Ukip voters

 
Trust issues: Sadiq Khan appealed to voters to come back to Labour from Ukip
Robin de Peyer25 May 2014
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Labour has been "too quick" to dismiss people's concerns over immigration, a senior MP has warned in an open letter to Ukip voters.

Shadow London Minister Sadiq Khan said his party had been wrong not to listen to voters' fears - and admitted Labour had been too ready to accuse people of prejudice.

In a direct appeal to voters who deserted the three main parties in favour of Ukip in local elections, Mr Khan cited the fallout from Gordon Brown calling Gillian Duffy a "bigot" in 2010 as evidence that Labour was losing touch with voters.

"We know we made mistakes. We're determined to put them right," he wrote in an open letter to the Express.

"Take immigration. In the past, we were too quick to dismiss concerns about immigration, or even worse - accused people of prejudice.

"We all remember Gillian Duffy. We were wrong. We are sorry."

Labour made gains in London in last week's local elections, including in key boroughs such as Croydon, Hammersmith and Fulham, and Redbridge.

But the party suffered damaging results in former heartlands such as Rotheram as voters backed Nigel Farage's Ukip.

Mr Khan - who is tipped to run for London Mayor in 2016 - pledged to step in to stop immigration "driving down" wages for workers.

He wrote: "So what are we offering now? Learning the English language will be a priority.

"We will change the rules on child benefit - so that it's no longer paid to children outside of this country."

Mr Khan added: "It is always easier to lose someone's trust than to win it back.

"All we ask is that you keep an open mind."

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