'We need to win this fight - or Reform will destroy the NHS and our rights'

THE most senior Bristol MP in a generation has warned that the rise of Reform is a "huge danger to Britain and British values," in a strongly-worded call to people across the city to fight against Nigel Farage and "right wing populism.

- Tristan CORK

Darren Jones, the MP for Bristol North West, who is also the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister and runs the Cabinet, said people shouldn't be "vilified" for being interested in what Reform UK is saying, and it was important to "listen and understand" what is making them turn to the far right.

The Labour MP said he believed some of Reform UK's policies and some of their politicians were racist, and called on the Labour Party not to shift its traditional values of "solidarity, justice, equity and opportunity" even in the face of politics shifting to the right.

Mr Jones, who was first elected as the MP for Bristol North West back in 2017 - an area that covers everywhere from leafy Henleaze to Avonmouth and the council estates of Lawrence Weston, where he grew up - was speaking to Bristol journalist Neil Maggs in the latest edition of the Bristol Unpacked podcast.

In a wide-ranging interview in the week before a crucial Budget, Mr Jones explained how he was proud of his working class roots, but admitted he felt people misjudge him and think he's more middle-class because he has lost his Bristolian accent.

And the MP also talked about encouraging younger people to vote and get involved in politics, while admitting the Labour Government has largely failed to get its message across since it was elected with a landslide majority in the summer of 2024.